Archive for November 2012

Catholics do not re-sacrifice Christ in the Mass! As stated in Hebrew 7:27, Christ has been sacrificed once for our sins. Catholics do not re-sacrifice Christ. Catholics merely do as Christ commanded in Luke 22:19, “This is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.” The sacrifice of the Mass, is a remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus (not a reenactment-it is a remembrance)

In Fr. Mitch Pacwa’s audio tape IS THE MASS A SACRIFICE?, he explains how that in the Jewish custom, lambs were slaughtered in Passover sacrifice. At the time that Jesus died (3:00 PM) in the afternoon, it was the exact moment (as was Jewish tradition), that the lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple by the High Priests for the Passover sacrifice. Fr. Pacwa continues by stating that in John 1:29; John the Baptizer states: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The mass is a remembrance, and the sacrifice is Jesus who delivered us from death to life. Fr. Pacwa explains that the Passover that Jesus and the Disciples shared at the last supper was the traditional Jewish Passover until the 4th cup of wine. This is where Jesus changes the Passover meal by breaking bread and drinking the wine with his apostles. Fr. Pacwa shows in the Bible verses below show how Jesus states that his blood, his death is the early sacrifice of the Mass:

(1 Cor 11:23-25) St. Paul states- For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew (declare) the Lord’s death till he come ( when he comes the second time). So until Jesus comes again, we are to remember his sacrifice and do as Jesus commands.

(Lk. 22:18-20) – And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

(Mt. 26:26-28) – And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.

NOTE: if you attend a Catholic Mass you will see what Christ truly instituted, straight from the Gospel!

Vatican II identifies the Mass as follows: “At the Last Supper, on the night He was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until he should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. (Sacrosanctum Concilium)”

The Catholic Mass centers around the Eucharist; the bread that becomes Jesus on the altar and the wine that becomes His blood. When the priest places his hands over the bread and wine, He summons the Holy Spirit to make them Holy and make these gifts into the flesh and blood of Jesus.

How can bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus? Let us look at John 6:52-55, the Jews had a hard time believing Jesus’ words as do non-Catholics.

(John 6:52-55) – The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

(John 6:58), Jesus explains the importance of this bread, that He states that it is truly Himself. “This is that bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” (This bread that Jesus speaks of, is the food that will give life)

In John 6:66 many of Jesus’ disciples left Jesus because they could not believe in His words. Then Jesus says to His twelve apostles in John 6:67 “Will ye also go away?” It is clear what Jesus is stating, He does not take back His words and He does not say that it is another parable. He gives His apostles the opportunity to leave. Then Peter Simon, speaking for the 12 states in John 6:68, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.

Non-Catholics believe that John 6:53 is merely a symbol and not the actual presence of Christ. If Jesus were truly a symbol, then verse 27 through 29 in 1 Cor. 11 would not make sense. In this verse Paul states:

(1 Cor. 11:27-29) “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

Why do Catholics kneel and stand? The reason that we kneel is that we truly believe that when the priest makes holy, the bread and wine, we know that we are in the presence of our Lord. As it states in Romans 14:11, “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me.” Catholics bow before Him, just as if we were at His throne in Heaven.

The Customs of the Mass are strange. The Catholic Mass has too many unknown and strange rituals. To a non-Catholic, the Mass seems to be a strange set of behaviors and actions. If you examine these behaviors and actions and compare them to the Bible you will find that the Catholic Church is the only church on earth that institutes what the Bible truly teaches. My questions to a non-Catholic would be: Does your church have priests and bishops? Does you church use incense? Do your ministers dress as the priests in the Bible? Does your church anoint the sick with oils?

Let us examine some of the so-called “strange” customs of the Catholic Church. A few examples of Bible verses supporting bishops, priests and deacons, incense, garment worn by priests, and holy oils.

BISHOPS

(1 Tim 3:1) If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

(1 Titus 1:7) For a Bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.

PRIESTHOOD

(Heb 7:5) And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of Priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham.

(Heb 7:12) For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change of the law.

DEACONS

(1 Tim 3:10) And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

INCENSE

(Lk. 1:9) – According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.

(Rev. 8:3) And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of tall saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

GARMENTS

(Ex. 28:4) – And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate and an ephod and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

(Ex. 31:10) And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.

HOLY OILS

(Ex. 31:11) And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.

(James 5:14) Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

Good Works in Sanctifying Grace are Necessary for SalvationCharity and deeds

Protestants say the after Faith, Works come next <- Well to be saved, Faith and Works should be at the SAME time, Works should not come later, coz what if you wait for work and u die then you missed one important factor to be saved which is Works along with Faith.

There will always be poor people and if do not help them who will?

Basically, justification is the theological term used to denote the basis upon which man can go to heaven. It is the means by which a sinner is “justified” or “made right with God.” Because God is perfect, transcendent and holy, but man is imperfect, mortal and sinful, there must be a “justifiable” reason why God would allow such a lowly creature to live with him forever. Because God must preserve his honor and holiness, he cannot just accept men into heaven without a good and justifiable reason for doing so, otherwise he would be compromising his own divine character. In order to justify our entrance into heaven, God must also remain just, honorable and holy (Rom. 3:26).

“Faith” and “Alone”

Ironically, the expression “faith alone” only appears once in the Bible-in James 2:24-where it is rejected as a description of how we are justified.

Neh. 13:14, Psalm 11:7,28:4, Isa. 3:10, 59:18, Jer. 25:14, 50:29, Ezek. 9:10, 11:21, 36:19, Hos. 4:9, 9:15, 12:2, Sir. 16:12,14 – The 2,000 year-old Catholic position on salvation is that we are saved by Jesus Christ and Him alone (cf. Acts 15:11; Eph. 2:5). But by the grace of Christ, we achieve the salvation God desires for us through perseverance in both faith and works.

Many Protestants, on the other hand, believe that one just has to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior to be saved, and good works are not necessary (they just flow from those already saved). But these verses, and many others, teach us that our performance of good works is necessary for our salvation. Scripture also does not teach that good works distinguish those who are eternally saved from those who are not saved.

Sir. 35:19; Luke 23:41; John 3:19-21, Rom. 8:13, 2 Tim 4:14, Titus 3:8,14, Rev. 22:12 – these verses also teach us that we all will be judged by God according to our deeds. There is no distinction between the “saved” and the “unsaved.”

1 Cor. 3:15 – if works are unnecessary for salvation as many Protestants believe, then why is a man saved (not just rewarded) through fire by a judgment of his works?

Matt. 7:1-3 – we are not judged just by faith, but actually how we judge others, and we get what we have given. Hence, we are judged according to how we responded to God’s grace during our lives.

Matt. 10:22, 24:13; Mark 13:13 – Jesus taught that we must endure to the very end to be saved. If this is true, then how can Protestants believe in the erroneous teaching of “Once saved, always saved?” If salvation occurred at a specific point in time when we accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, there would be no need to endure to the end. We would already be saved.

Matt. 16:27 – Jesus says He will repay every man for what he has done (works).

Matt. 25:31-46 – Jesus’ teaching on the separation of the sheep from the goats is based on the works that were done during their lives, not just on their acceptance of Christ as Savior. In fact, this teaching even demonstrates that those who are ultimately saved do not necessarily have to know Christ. Also, we don’t accept Christ; He accepts us. God first makes the decision to accept us before we could ever accept Him.

Matt. 25:40,45 – Jesus says “Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to Me.” We are judged and our eternal destiny is determined in accordance with our works.

Mark 10:21 – Jesus says sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. This means that our salvation depends upon our works.

Luke 12:43-48 – these verses teach us that we must act according to the Lord’s will. We are judged based upon what we know and then do, not just upon what we know.

Luke 14:14 – Jesus says we are repaid for the works we have done at the resurrection of the just. Our works lead to salvation.

Luke 23:41 – some Protestants argue that Jesus gave salvation to the good thief even though the thief did not do any good works. However, the good thief did in fact do a good work, which was rebuking the bad thief when he and others were reviling Jesus. This was a “work” which justified the good thief before Jesus and gained His favor. Moreover, we don’t know if the good thief asked God for forgiveness, did works of penance and charity and was reconciled to God before he was crucified.

Rom. 2:6-10, 13 – God will judge every man according to his works. Our salvation depends on how we cooperate with God’s grace.

2 Cor. 5:10 – at the judgment Seat of Christ, we are judged according to what we have done in the body, not how much faith we had.

2 Cor. 9:6 – Paul says that he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully, in connection with God’s judgment.

2 Cor. 11:15 – our end will correspond to our deeds. Our works are necessary to both our justification and salvation.

Gal. 6:7-9 – whatever a man sows, he will reap. Paul warns the Galatians not to grow weary in doing good works, for in due season they will reap (the rewards of eternal life).

Eph. 6:8 – whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord.

Col. 3:24-25 – we will receive due payment according to what we have done. Even so, Catholics recognize that such payment is a free unmerited gift from God borne from His boundless mercy.

1 Tim. 6:18-19 – the rich are to be rich in good deeds so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed, that is, eternal life.

2 Tim. 4:14 – Alexander the coppersmith did Paul great harm, and Paul says the Lord will requite him for his deeds.

Heb. 6:10 – God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake. God rewards our works on earth and in heaven.

Heb. 12:14 – without holiness, no one will see the Lord. Holiness requires works of self-denial and charity, and does not come about simply by a profession of faith.

1 Peter 1:17 – God judges us impartially according to our deeds. We participate in applying the grace Jesus won for us at Calvary in our daily lives.

Rev. 2:5 – Jesus tells the Ephesians they have fallen from love they used to have, and orders them to do good works. He is not satisfied with their faith alone. They need to do more than accept Him as personal Lord and Savior.

Rev. 2:10 – Jesus tells the church in Smyrna to be faithful unto death, and He will give them the crown of life. This is the faith of obedience to His commandments.

Rev. 2:19 – Jesus judges the works of the Thyatirans, and despises their tolerance of Jezebel, calling them to repentance.

Rev. 2:23 – Jesus tells us He will give to each of us as our works deserve. He crowns His own gifts by rewarding our good works.

Rev. 2:26 – Jesus says he who conquers and keeps my works until the end will be rewarded in heaven. Jesus thus instructs us to keep his works to the very end. This is not necessary if we are “once saved, always saved.”

Rev. 3:2-5,8,15 – Jesus is judging our works from heaven, and these works bear upon our eternal salvation. If we conquer sin through faith and works, He will not blot our names out of the book of life. This means that works bear upon our salvation. Our “works” do not just deal with level of reward we will receive, but whether we will in fact be saved.

Rev. 3:15 – Jesus says, “I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. Because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth.” Jesus is condemning indifferentism, which is often based on our works.

Rev. 14:13 – we are judged by the Lord by our works – “for their deeds follow them!” Our faith during our life is completed and judged by our works.

Rev. 20:12 – “the dead are judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.”

Sirach 16:12,14 – we are judged according to our deeds, and will receive in accordance with our deeds.

Because one has received the gift of new life in Christ, he must give evidence of a lively faith by a godly life, especially by attending to the needs of the poor and the oppressed (cf. Mt 25:31-46).

PART 2

Works: We work out what GOD works in our hearts. Works are the fruit of faith. As already mentioned, “We work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” Whenever St. Paul said works are not needed, he was referring to the old Mosaic Law or works of darkness. He did not mean the good works rendered by the Law of Grace (Trent, session 6, chapter 4) of the New Covenant..

In Matt 25:31-46 are many examples of doing good works, proclaimed by Jesus Christ. There is the separation of the sheep from the goats which relate to, the feeding of the hungry, clothing of the naked, visiting the sick and those imprisoned, and more. Notice that both the sheep and the goats believed, but only the sheep did good works. In verse 46, Jesus cautioned as to what will be the reward of those who do not do these things, and of those who do, “And these will go into everlasting punishment, but the just into everlasting life.”

“Work as a preacher of the Gospel, fulfill your ministry.” 2Tim 4:5

“Work for upbuilding and not for destruction.” 2Cor 13:10

“Work from the heart as for the Lord, and not for men.” Col 3:23

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Phil 2:12. See also 1Cor 9:24-27.

“For His workmanship we are, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which GOD has made ready beforehand that we may walk in them.” Eph 2:10

“And if you invoke as Father him who without respect of persons judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves with fear in the time of your sojourning.” 1Pet 1:17

“There are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of GOD.” Eccl 9:1

“…who will render to every man according to his works.” Rom 2:6

“But their end will be according to their works.” 2Cor 11:15

“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Rom 2:13

“For GOD shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl 12:14

“Tribulation and anguish shall be visited upon the soul of every man who works evil; of Jew first and then of Greek. But glory and honor and peace shall be awarded to everyone who does good to Jew first and then of Greek.” Rom 2:9-10

“…we should love one another; not like Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. And wherefore did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked, but his brother’s just.” 1Jn 3:11-12

“But if anyone builds upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hat, straw, the work of each will be made manifest, for the Day of the Lord will declare it, since the day is to be revealed in fire. The fire will assay the quality of everyone’s work: if his work abides which he has built thereon, he will receive his reward; if his work burns he will lose his reward, but himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 1Cor 3:13-15

These four preceding verses lay it on the line that every one’s works will surely be tested, and reward or punishment will follow.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 7:21

“Now we know that GOD does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of GOD, AND DOES HIS WILL , him He hears.” John 9:31

“But why do you call Me, ‘Lord, ‘Lord’, and do not practice the things that I say?” Luke 6:46

“But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, for they have been performed in GOD.” John 3:21

“Esteem them with a more abundant love on account of their work.” 1Thes 5:13

“If anyone, therefore, has cleansed himself from these, he will be a vessel for honorable use, sanctified and useful to the Lord, ready for every good work.” 2Tim 2:21

“Let them do good and be rich in good works, giving readily, sharing with others.” 1Tim 6:18

“This saying is true, and concerning these things I desire you to insist, that they who believe in GOD may be careful to excel in good works.” Tit 3:8

“And let out children also learn to excel in good works, in order to meet cases of necessity, so that they may not be unfruitful.” Tit 3:14

“…looking for the blessed hope and glorious coming of our great GOD and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse for Himself an acceptable people, pursuing good works.” Tit 2:13-14

“Yes, working together with Him we entreat you not to receive the grace of GOD in vain… On the contrary, let us conduct ourselves in all circumstances as GOD’s ministers, in much patience; in tribulations, in hardships, in distress; in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults; in labors…”
2Cor 6:1,5

“May you walk worthily of GOD and please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of GOD.” Col 1:10

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let everyone test his own work, so he will have glory in himself only, and not in comparison with another. For each one will bear his own burden.” Gal 6:2-5

“And they who have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment.” John 5:29

“If you know that he is just, know that everyone also who does what is just has been born of Him.” 1John 2:29

“Therefore, he who knows how to do good, and does not do it, commits a sin.” Jam 4:17
This is called the sin of omission. Matt 25:37-40 has more examples of sins of omission.

“And concerning these (evil works) I warn you, that they who do (evil works) such things will not attain the kingdom of GOD.” Gal 5:21 (read from verse 16 for context).

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore where you have fallen, and repent and do the former works; or else I will come to you, and will move your lamp-stand out of its place, unless you repent.” Rev 2:4-5

“I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, but which were ready to die. For I do not find your works complete before my GOD.” Rev 3:1-2

“Alexander, the coppersmith, has done me much harm; the Lord will render him according to his deeds.” 2Tim 4:14

“My dear children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue, but in deed and in truth.”
1Jn 3:18

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth. Yes, says the Spirit, let them rest from their labors, FOR THEIR WORKS FOLLOW THEM’.” Rev 14:13
The works which you do in this life will follow you forever.

“I know your works and your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear evil men;” Rev 2:2

“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. And another scroll was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the scrolls, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.” Rev 20:12

“And her children I will strike with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches desires and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.” Rev 2:23

“Behold, I come quickly! And My reward is with Me, to render to each one ACC ORDING TO HIS WORKS.” Rev 22:12

“And the world with its lust is passing away, but he who does the will of GOD abides forever.” 1John 2:17

“And he who overcomes, and who keeps My works unto the end, I will give authority over the nations.” Rev 2:26

“I know your works, Behold, I have caused a door to be opened before you which no one can shut, for you have scanty strength, and you have kept My word and have not disowned My name.” Rev 3:8

With all of these verses in support of doing good works, how can anyone say works are not required for salvation?

Sample protestant sex scandals that the main newspaper publications do not publish in the headline news. The media is so bias against the Catholic Church because they don’t publish protestant sex scandals in the front page. If you find one you will read it in the back page and with few description.
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT AN OFFENSIVE SITUATIONAND THEREFORE CONTAINS OFFENSIVE MATERIAL. PARENTALDISCRETION IS HIGHLY ADVISED.

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He was held on $300,000 bond on two counts of possessing child pornography and one charge of promoting child pornography.
Smith was fired from Exel, a Fort Worth-based computer logistics company. He also resigned Wednesday as pastor of Landmark
Baptist Church, where he had served for 31/2 years. His wife of 13 years, Julie Smith, said the allegations stunned her.
“He’s never hurt our children. As far as I know he’s never hurt anyone’s children,” she said.
source: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/11/22/national1324EST0630.DTL

PASTOR BOOKED FOR MOLESTING SCHOOLGIRL. A girl, 15, was molested at a church-run school in Birmingham by Rev. James E.
Johnson, of Ensley, according to police. He was charged with 2nd degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor.
Source: _Birmingham News_ 11/21/92.

BAPTIST VOLUNTEER PREYED ON GIRLS? Thomas Road Baptist Church in Phoenix failed to screen churchvolunteer John Herman Kuiper
for a criminal record when it permitted him to drive a church bus & volunteer at youth events. Kuiper, who had been convicted
in 1991 of a felony charge of 3rd degree sexual assault, was arrested in Phoenix for molesting 5 girls. As a church bus
driver in Fort Collins, Colorado, he had received a deferred sentence for molesting a little girl, 5. Rev. Ken Adrian, church
pastor, complained to media that the publicity was not good for his Phoenix church.
Source: _Arizona Republic_ 11/4/92.

REDEEMER CHURCH SETTLES SUIT. Redeemer Lutheran Church, Redwood City, made a secret settlement to a victim of youth counselor
James A. Weller, who had sought $25,000. The victim said the pastor and other church officials interrupted Weller when he was
molesting the victim, then 13, but failed to report it. Weller had been dishonorably discharged from the Navy for sexual
molestation and had a record when he was hired by the church. He was convicted in 1990 of 27 counts of sex crimes against 4
boys and a girl, including oral sex, rape and pornography. He is serving a 4-year prison sentence.
Source: _Redwood City Tribune_ 5/19/92.

PROMINENT EVANGELICAL RESIGNS; NO CHARGES? Prominent Sunday-school teacher/leader James C. Truxton, 77 resigned his
positions at the 5,000-member First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton. The founding president of Mission Aviation
Fellowship admitted he was stepping down because of “molestation perpetrated by me in the past upon young girls within &
outside this congregation”. Truxton & his wife’s memberships were revoked They were told not to set foot on church property
again. Both had been teaching second-graders; the wife was called “culpable”. At least 7 church members in their 20s & 30s
said they were molested by Truxton as children. The statute of limitations has expired; no criminal charges were filed. When
parents 20 years ago complained to Mission Aviation Fellowship officials about Truxton, they were told a psychologist at
Fuller Seminary evaluated him, concluding he was in no need of help.
Source: _National & International Religion Report_ 10/19/92.

PASTOR OUSTED FROM 4,500-MEMBER CHURCH. Pastor David Hocking of Calvary Church in Santa Ana was forced to resign after
confessing to an affair with a married woman. Hocking, 51, is married with grown children.
Source: _National & International Religion Report_ 10/19/92.

PASTOR GETS 13 YEARS FOR INCEST. Springfield Baptist Church pastor Jon L. Walker, 43, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for
molesting a relative for 2-1/2 years, beginning when she was 13. Twenty persons pleaded for leniency, including the local
NAACP president. Walter’s defense was to accuse his wife of concocting the charges to get even with him because he had an
affair with a young church member! Deputy DA Karen Gray said the letters of support were “a sad testimony to the fact that
Mr. Walter’s life has been a fraud”.
Source: _San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune_ 8/5/92.

VICTIM SUES CONVICTED MINISTER. Rancho Cucamonga pastor John Marshall, convicted of sexually battering an ill man, 25, is
being sued for $1 million by victim Kirk Judy, along with his church, the American Baptist Churches of USA & of the Pacific
Southwest. The 6’2″, 200-lb pastor overpowered the 5’6″, 140-lb victim at a bedside counseling visit. He got only 2 years of
probation. The suit alleges that Marshall had committed other crimes, & that the 2 Baptist groups should have known about
them.
Source: _Ontario Daily Bulletin_ 7/29/92.

MORMON TEACHER GETS 30 YEARS. Sobbing Mormon Sunday School teacher John Allen Midgett asked for God’s forgiveness before
being sentenced to 30 years in state prison for molesting & terrorizing 8 girls, ages 5-10. A parent testified Midgett turned
her cheerful, trusting daughter into a frightened, scarred recluse. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution
Source: _San Diego Times Union_ 1992, _Los Angeles Times_ 9/12/92.

CANCER VICTIM ALLEGES MISCONDUCT. Carolyn Kruse, Aurora, filed suit against her minister and church, saying he coerced her
into a sexual relationship when she went for counseling while ill with Hodgkin’s disease. Sued is John R. Leonard, pastor of
Harvest Christian Center, who told the congregation Kruse was possessed by a demon.
Source: _Rocky Mountain News_1/1/92.

COUNSELING VICTIM GETS $300,000. The Bear Valley Church of Christ & its former minister Homer Wolfe agreed to pay $300,000 to
a man whom Wolfe sexually assaulted during family counseling sessions. Earlier, a boy, now 17, was awarded $450,000 by a jury
for similar charges. Wolfe, 59, has not been criminally charged. He told parishioners to undress & massage themselves, &
masturbated during counseling sessions, also touching parishioners. The fundamentalist Church of Christ teaches that
nonchurch members will go to hell. Wolfe now lives in Texas.
Source: _Rocky Mountain News_ 8/2,29/92.

FUGITIVE RELIGIOUS LEADER NABBED. Fugitive religious leader James Randazzo, convicted in 1989 of sex crimes, had skipped the
country in 1990 & was nabbed in Hungary after a manhunt. He will now be sentenced on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of
children & drug use. Randazzo founded Spiral of Friends Church in Molina.
Source: _Pueblo Chieftain_ 10/29/92.

CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER RENEGES CONFESSION. Facing 11 felony counts stemming from molestations of 2 young brothers since
1987, Rev. Boardman Kathan says a damaging statement he gave police in July was coerced. Former chair of the Region 16 Board
of Education, Kathan retired last summer as associate minister of the First Congregational Church of Cheshire in Waterbury.
Police say their investigation shows he molested a boy, 17, numerous times over the past 5 years, & once molested his
brother, now 12.
Source:(Waterbury) _Republican American_ 1/23/93.

Holy Way leader Clarence “Brother Will” Williams was arrested after a 19-year-old woman said he brainwashed her into having
sex starting when she was 15. The member of the sect said he forced sex upon her and other women more than 40 times between
1987-1990. Williams, who pleaded guilty 5 years ago to “cleansing” underage members by ordering them to bare their breasts,
was 2 months short of completing his 5-year probation. Terms of probation prohibited practicing aspects of his religion such
as nudity, fondling children, and having non-related children spend the night. In 1986 prosecutors interviewed about a dozen
girls and their mothers who described a religious ritual in which they would strip and fondle each other at Williams’
command. Williams claimed thiswas _Bible_-based: “Our belief is that biblically if you have a problem within yourself, it is
because of sin or weakness, and about the only thing that’s goingto cleanse you of that is if you expose it before the
Lord.”
Source: _Palm Beach Post_ 2/26/92.

ACCUSED PASTORAL COUNSELOR A PHONY. Port Charlotte church school principal Albert Joseph Clerico Jr., 47,charged with sexual
misconduct by a psychotherapist by means of therapeutic deception, claims to be licensed by a nonexistent “scripturally
based” group, National Christian Counselors Association & to have attended the nonexistent Carolina University of Theology.
State investigator Robert Ford charged that Clerico “did cloak himself in the guise of Christianity & did represent to the
female defendant that sexual contact” was part of the treatment. Clerico maintains his position as “pastoral counselor”
exempts him under state law from charges. Police miked the victim & recorded Clerico making sexual advances, soliciting her
comment on his graphic fantasies & telling her to perform oral sex. He was arrested after the 75-minute “counseling session”.
He has been suspended as principal of Community Christian School of First Baptist Church in Port Charlotte, & as minister of
First Baptist Church, which operates the school.
Source: _Sarasota Herald-Tribune_ 8/4/92.

MINISTER GUILTY. Murrayville minister L.G. Gilsrap pleaded guilty to 2 counts of child molestation after the state high court
in 1991 overturned a 1989 conviction for molesting young boys at church.
Source:_USA Today_ 3/6/92.

“WOUNDED SOLDIER” LEAVES CHURCH. Senior pastor of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, with 12,000 members oneof Atlanta’s largest
churches Q stepped down, admitting an “improper” relationship with a female church employee. Charismatic Rev. Don Paulk, 53,
sermonized, “I am not here today as a martyr or hero, but as a fallen, wounded soldier … My family’s forgiveness was second
only to the forgiveness of God.” His brother, Bishop Earl Paulk, berated the media for exposing the “weaknesses” of others,
an blamed “Satan”, promising Don would return.
Source _Atlanta Constitution_ 5/11/92.

DEKALB CHURCH BLESSES COVER-UP. A sex scandal, now encompassing 4 ministers from one family, has been uncovered at the
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in DeKalb, Georgia, praised by former President Bush as one of his “1,000 Points of Light”. The
$12 million racially diverse 7,700-seat church with a TV program, social services, lost half of its 12,000 members following
revelations that its minister, Bishop Ear Paulk, had an adulterous affair. Other church employees or members have stepped
forward to say they had affairs with the bishop’s brother, Rev. Don Paulk, & his nephews Rev. Duane Swilley & Rev. Alan
Mushegan. Women charge the ministers coerced them into having sex in order to “serve God.” The church filed, then dropped a
slander/libel suit against several former members & staffers, resulting in a gag order by a DeKalb judge forbidding them to
discuss thei allegations of sexual misconduct. It promotes a doctrine of “covering”, blessing cover-ups of sexual misconduct
& requiring submission to authority. Don Paulk accuses former church schoolteacher Rebecca Moses of seducing him, saying “I
know now what it was like for Samson to place his head in the lap o Delilah.” Six victims have not filed suit, but are asking
for legislation making it a felony in Georgi for clergy to have sex with members of their congregations.
Sources: AP/_Atlanta Journal/Constitution_ 11/14/92; _USA Today_ 12/18/92; _Boston Globe_ 1/9/93.

DAVIS FACES MORE CHARGES. Rev. L.R. Davis, charged in Illinois with criminal sexual misconduct, child pornography, and
perjury, was also charged with assaulting a teenage boy in San Diego. Davis, 57, is a prominent Waukegan minister with
Christian Fellowship, Inc. Two fellow ministers, Michael Camer, 30, and David Annstrong, 33, are indicted on lesser charges
Young boys may have been brought from Tijuana, Mexico to Davis’ San Diego church for molestation. AIR FORCE CHAPLAIN
COURT-MARTIALED. Capt. Perry W. Bell, 37, pleaded guilty to adultery with 6 women, conduct unbecoming an officer, and
bringing discredit upon the armed forces. He was also convicted o attempted seduction of a 19-year-old Air Force cadet who
fought off advances in his chapel office. The Scott Air Force Base chaplain was court-martialed and given 3 months in jail.
He could have been sentenced for up to 12 years. In exchange for guilty pleas, the Air Force agreed to a brief sentence and
dropped other charges of indecent advances, possession of a pornographic videotape while in the United Arab
Emigrates during the war against Iran, ordering an enlisted man to obtain a pornographic tape, and dereliction of duty. Three
of the victims were Air Force Officers, others were a sergeant, a sergeant’s wife seeking counseling, and an enlisted woman.
The senior Protestant chaplain sought out vulnerable women seeking help for emotional upsets.
Source: _Edwardsville Intelligencer_ 2/19/92.

DAVIS GETS 31 YEARS, CLEMENCY ASKED. The founder of the notorious First Christian Fellowship Church of Waukegan, Rev. Lloyd
Davis, 57, flanked by many supporters, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for criminal sexual assault, child pornography &
sexual abuse. He imported teenaged boys from Mexico for sex. Lake Co. Judge Christopher C. Starck said: “The burning question
in this case is whether this man is a minister or a monster, a pastor or a pedophile.” Starck said he is all of those things.
Davis is believed to have molested children since the 1960s. Former church members accuse him of running a cult making sexual
demands on supporters & locating all churches near Naval bases, where he is known for trying to lure young sailors into his
churches for sexual purposes. About 374 persons wrote letters to the judge asking for mercy. “He is the greatest person there
is,” insisted Martha Allsopp, a Kenosha church member. He faces more charges in California. Two other ministers from his
Waukegan church, David Lee Armstrong & Michael Carner, go on trial in March. In January, 200 supporters led by Rev. Peter
Paine of the Christian Fellowship Church presented a request for clemency for Davis to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. “I
believe L.R. Davis may be the most sexually dangerous man to have ever walked the streets of Lake Co.,” maintains Assistant
State’s Attorney Jeff Pavletic.
Sources: _Chicago Tribune_ 8/15/92, AP/
_Quad-City Times_ 8/15/92, _News-Sun_ (Lake Co.) 1/15/93.

LUTHERAN PASTOR CONFESSES TO 13 YEARS OF CRIMES. The 500 members of Christ Lutheran church in Palatine were sent a letter
informing them that Rev. Wayne Tellekson has confessed to sexual misconduct while he was pastor from 1975 to 1988. He was
removed from his current St. Paul, Minn. church when a former victim confronted Tellekson.
Source: _Chicago Sun-Times_ 1/15/93.

LAWSUIT ALLEGES CLERGY MALPRACTICE. David S. Guppy filed a civil suit for clergy malpractice, misrepresentation, fraud &
other counts against Rev. F. Scott Luthy, resigned pastor of St. Stephen Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rockford. Guppy says
the minister seduced his wife, a parishioner, than misused his counseling relationship with Guppy to conceal the
affair, urging him to have an affair of his own.
Source: _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 7/31/92.

2,000 SUPPORT MINISTER MOLESTER. About 75 supporters from the Christ Universal Church picketed before the Criminal Courts
Building in Chicago in support of Rev Paul Hall, 47, convicted of sexually abusing a boy, 13, in 1989. He had been free on
appeal since then. His 4-year sentence began in January. The Illinois Appellate Court, which denied him a rehearing, received
more than 2,000 letters in his behalf.
Source: _Chicago Sun-Times_ 9/3/92, 1/8/93.

LUTHERAN PASTOR NABBED. Dirk van der Linde, 43, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Waterloo, was charged with intent to
commit sexual abuse of a boy, 14. He is affiliated with the Missouri Synod. Relatives complained about a 2 month delay in
arresting him. An aunt said she believed the delay stemmed from racism, because the victim is black & the minister white. “It
would not be this way if it had been a black minister molesting a white child,” she said.
Source: _Waterloo Courier_ 9/23/92, _Des Moines Register_ 9/24/92.

“SOUND DOCTRINE” PASTOR QUITS. After nearly 20 years as pastor, Rev. Wendell Beets, of Sound Doctrine Church, resigned
following a claim of sexual impropriety with a female church member, 19. A married couple who were also ministers at the
church expressed indignation that “he would attack a 19-year-old girl”, & concern that Beets will tart a new church &
continue preying on the congregation. Louise & Clarence Ellis of Cedar Rapids say others have criticized them for speaking
out against Beets.
Source: _Cedar Rapids Gazette_ 8/29/92.

BAPTIST YOUTH PASTOR NABBED. Youth minister-Sunday School teacher William Speaker, 21, of First Baptist Church in Excelsior
Springs, was charged with a felony for sexually molesting a boy, 14, while chauffeuring him to church activities.
Source: _Kansas City Star_ 8/21/92.

JURY ACQUITS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. A Louisville jury of 6 men & 6 women found in favor of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in
a $5 million sexual-harassment suit brought by Janet Gellhaus. The employee claimed her superior Nagy Tawfik sexually
harassed her, pressuring her into a sexual relationship by threatening to fire her. Church attorney Michael Valenti,
apparently conceded the relationship when he said after the acquittal (shades of the U.S. Senate): “The lesson should be you
need to immediately tell people about it, you need to immediately investigate your rights, you need to use some common sense
& say ‘no’.”
Source: Presbyterian Outlook_ 9/7/92.

BAPTIST PASTOR GOES TO TRIAL. Indicted for 6 counts of aggravated sexual battery & 5 counts of sexual battery was Rev. George
Walker, 64, of New Tazewell, who has pastored a number of area Baptist churches. He is accused of victimizing a female piano
student instructed by his wife for 4 years.
Source: _The Daily News_ Middlesboro, 12/24/92.

PRESBYTERIAN REFORM URGED. The Presbyterian General Assembly, meeting in Baltimore in June, voted 446-78 to recommend
abolishing the statute of limitations for reporting sexual misconduct by clergy. The church, citing critical proportions, has
a 3-year time limit for reporting sexual misconduct by church officials. The vote must be ratified by 2/3 of the church’s 171
regional presbyteries. It also voted 491-26 to establish a policy on sexual misconduct, advising local churches to set up
“sexual misconduct response teams” & notify secular authorities “when appropriate”. The adopted policy said there is evidence
that “10-23 percent of clergy nationwide have engaged in sexualized behavior or sexual contact with parishioners, clients,
employees, etc., within a professional relationship”.
Source: AP 6/12/92.

UNITARIAN GUILTY ON 6 CHARGES. Northboro minister Mack W. Mitchell, 56, was convicted on 6 of 23 charges of sexual assault
involving a Tibetan woman who testified he sexually abused her as a teenager after offering to sponsor her education in this
country. “I came her with a lot of wonderful dreams, and my dreams were shattered,” said the victim, now 23. With the
conviction, “I can dream again and become a whole person again.” Rape and assault-battery charges are still pending against
him by another Tibetan woman.
Source: _Worcester Telegram & Gazette_ 5/15/92.

RAPIST-MINISTER GETS 12 YEARS FOR INCEST. Suspended associate rector of a Tucson Episcopal church, Stephen P. Apthorp, 56,
pleaded guilty in Massachusetts to repeatedly raping his stepdaughter between her 10th and 16th birthday, an estimated 830
incidents of abuse. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Charges included indecent assault and battery, rape and
distribution of pornographic materials to a minor. The assaults began in 1980 when a Lincoln, Mass. congregation asked him to
leave because he was abusing alcohol, ignoring their problems, and “using the women of the parish like they were some kind of
fringe benefit”, Apthorp said. He was suspended from the Tucson church. His contract as a counselor for Tucson General
Hospital’s Westcenter was not renewed. He gave nationwide worships and lectures based on a book of advice for clergy with
alcohol and drug addictions. The 21-year-old victim, who publicly identified herself as Mimi Coleman, noted the betrayal made
her suicidal, gave her eating disorders and nightmares, shameful feelings over sex, continuing gynecological problems,
feelings of someone always watching her, feelings of panic whenever she sees a man in a clerical collar, and feelings that
she is a freak. “Never have I seen him practice what he preached, and I heard him preach a lot.”
Source: _Arizona Daily Star_ 3/13/92; _Boston Herald_ 5/7/92; _LincolnJournal_ 5/14/92.

LUTHERAN MINISTER REMOVED. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America removed Rev. Wendell Henkenmeier of Marblehead from the
ministry after a panel found him guilty of sexual misconduct & destructive practices during counseling of 5 victims.
Source: _Union-News_5/30/92.

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER IMPRISONED. Groton Sunday School teacher Leslie Richard Danielson, 63, was sentenced to 5-10 years
after pleading guilty to sexually abusing 6 children under 14 years. He is already serving up to 10 years for a 1991
conviction involving 4 other children, but will be eligible for parole in 4 years.
Source: _Boston Herald_ 5/22/92.

BAPTIST CONVICTED OF RAPING BOY. A jury convicted Baptist minister Edward Quakenbush, of New Testament Baptist Church, town
of Wyoming, of raping & molesting a teenage boy in his church over a 4-year period, starting when he was 12. Members of his
church & family sobbed & shouted at jurors & a police detective who testified that the pastor had confessed to the
molestations. Quakenbush later denied confessing.
Source: AP/_Daily Telegram_, Adrian, Ml 9/12/92.

BRONSON MINISTER ARRAIGNED. First Congregational Church minister David Covert Moore was charged with 5 counts of criminal
sexual conduct of 4 children under the age of 15. In July he checked himself into Pine Rest Christian Counseling Services in
Grand Rapids.
Source: _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 8/29/92.

CHURCH EVANGELIZERS PREYED ON LOW-INCOME KIDS. Menfrom a rural Baptist church known for its aggressive evangelizing of
children are suspected of molesting as many as 22 boys & girls. The associate pastor, volunteer bus driver & a third church
member are believed to have fondled some & raped others, ranging in age from 3 to 10, on church buses & property. Charges
involving 10 victims were brought against Associate Pastor Timothy Lee Leonard, 32, of North Sharon Baptist Church near Grass
Lake, & volunteer Sunday school bus driver, church deacon Mark Foeller. Three other church members are being investigated.
The suspects went to low-income housing projects or trailer parks in 4 counties, telling parents they would “take the
children to church & teach them about God”, according to Det. Robert Fitzpatrick, Jackson Co. Men would walk up to children
in their yards, coaxing them with treats to come to weekend services or summer _Bible_ school. Leonard was relieved of church
duties involving children in August, after police started investigating him when a doctor reported suspected abuse in a child
with a sexual disease. He also worked as instructor & gym teacher in the North Sharon Christian School, enrolling about 65
students. Church members were not informed, even after the arrests. In November, Gail Ganger, who lives 5 houses from the
church, organized a Sunday morning picket after learning that the church secretary knew about the allegations, yet still
recommended Leonard as a babysitter for her children. He & his wife Nadine had babysat for her 3 children 7 times since Oct.
1. About 2 dozen protesters carried signs saying “Clos It Down.” “The church knew about the allegations of child molesting,
but nobody told me about it. This church should not be able to carry on business as usual,” she said. “What a wonderful thing
it is to be part of a church where adversity happens,” said Rev. Bill Wininger, senior pastor. In January, Leonard was
released after 72 days in jail after 10 charges were dropped over the objections of the DA by Washtenaw Co. Dist. Judge
Thomas Shea, saying victims were either too young to testify or could not pinpoint the time of their assaults. Leonard still
faces 2 2nd degree criminal sexual conduct charges. Although he resigned from the church, church funds are being used to help
support his family & pay his legal expenses. The pastor said if he is acquitted, “I’m sure he would be welcomed back with
open arms.”
Sources: _Ypsilanti Press_ 11/12/92, _Detroit Free Press_ 11/12/92,
_Toledo Blade_ 11/18/92, _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 11/16/92, 2/1/93.

LUTHERAN LEADER ADMITS CHARGES. Lutheran pastor David L. Anderson admitted having sexual relations with a number of boys and
young men while pastor of a leading Lutheran congregation in Moorehead, Minn. He resigned from the clergy of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and as vice president for college relations in St. Olaf College in April, admitting sexual
misconduct with minors, college students, and male parishioners from 1973-1985. He confessed only after a parishioner
approached a staff member at the 4,000 member church with allegations in March.
Source: _Star Tribune_ 4/20/92.

LUTHERAN PASTOR RESIGNS. For the third time Rev. Rod Broding has left a job after being accused of sexual improprieties. The
Lutheran pastor resigned from First Lutheran Church in Pine River following accusations he admitted to sexual misconduct
there, but denies earlier accusations. Bishop Roger Munson, who oversees the Northeastern Minnesota synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, said, “The church will assist in providing counseling to work through this turmoil & pain so that
healing & wholeness can be experienced in their lives.”
Source: _Star Tribune_ 10/22/92.

AIR FORCE CHAPLAIN RAIDED. Deputies raided the home of Veterans Administration chaplain Rev. Donald G. Phillips, of Butler
County, seizing 500 video tapes, movie equipment and restraints following a tip that he produced pornographic movies with
young girls. The Baptist minister recently received the highest recognition awarded a VA chaplain, “the Award for Excellence
in Chaplain Service”.
Source: _St. Louis Post-Dispatch_ 2/19/92.

BAPTIST VOLUNTEER CONVICTED. Granite State Baptist Church volunteer David Kirsch, 39, of Salem, was convicted of sexually
assaulting 6 young girls through the church from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
Source: _USA Today_ 9/25/92.

CLERIC FACES INCEST, RAPE CHARGES. Rev. Eugenio Matos of Spanish Mennonite Church, Trenton, father of 12, was charged in
March with raping his daughter from the time she was 5 to 15 years. In April he was charged with endangering welfare of a
child and 2 counts of aggravated sexual assault when a 23-year-old woman told investigators he repeatedly raped her while she
was between the ages of 8 and 10.
Source: _Trenton Times_ 4/28/92.

MINISTER & GIRLFRIEND INDICTED. Trenton pastorFranklin Tucker, 37, Final Call Ministry, was indicted for molesting his
girlfriend’s daughters, 9 & 15. His girlfriend was indicted for forcing her daughters to recant the allegations to police.
The abuse came to light when the 9-year-old told a school official, who contacted police.
Source: _Trenton Times_ 9/15/92.

NUDE MINISTER CONVICTED. Rev. Bruce Rentz, found guilty of indecent exposure after a state trooper saw him jogging naked and
chased him to his home, has resigned as minister from Greenbush Presbyterian Church. He was ordered to perform community
service, pay a $50 fine, and get counseling.
Source: _Union News_ 5/14/92.

TOP EPISCOPAL PRIEST RESIGNS AMID SEX SCANDAL. The highest-ranking U.S. Episcopal priest, who ironically headed a national
committee examining the church’s position on sexuality, resigned in October following charges he sexually abused young men in
his congregation. Rev. Wallace A. Frey, rector of St. David’s Church in DeWitt, is married with 2 grown children. A church
official said he had been involved in “sexual misconduct over a lengthy period with some male, young adults & a teenager
under his pastoral care”. The official said the number of victims appears to be “less than 10”.
Source: NYT News Service/_Chicago Tribune_ 10/7/92.

CIVIL SUIT: 11-YEAR-OLD MOLESTED. A family in Dare County, North Carouna is suing Methodist minister Carl M. Eller for
abusing their daughter, 11, as well as the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, a bishop and a reverend
for knowing of his history of sexual misconduct but doing nothing about it. The family says she was molested when her father,
a carpenter, was installing cabinets in the parsonage. Eller pleaded no contest to a charge of criminal assault on a female.
However, the family said that in 1987 Eller had molested or made lewd comments to 4 women at his church, and forcibly kissed
and touched 2 girls age 13. Three women had lodged formal complaints with the church, but the only action was to transfer him
from Aurora to Hamlet.
Source: _News & Observer_ 1/15/92.

SUPPORTERS GATHER FOR CONVICTED “FRIEND”. Pastor Roy McKinley, 45, who stepped down from Milan Friends Church after being
charged with molesting a teenage girl, pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition and related charges. Supporters, including a
minister, crowded the courtroom where McKinley pleaded for mercy.
Source: _Toledo Blade_ 5/25/92.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT SUIT HITS CHURCH. A female employee at World Harvest Church in Columbus has filed a lawsuit saying the
father of the pastor sexually harassed her, also naming the church & its pastor as defendants. Naomi Endicott, 48, said Rev.
Rodney L. Parsley knew about the harassment but did nothing to stop it. James G. Parsley, his father, was her supervisor &
made unwanted sexual advances, even offering money for sex, she said.
Source: _Columbus Dispatch_ 10/17/92.

WOMAN SUES EPISCOPAL PRIEST. A Fostoria woman is suing Rev. Douglas Hodges, of Trinity Episcopal Church, Bishop James Moodey
& the owner of a counseling center, alleging the priest forced her to have sex as “treatment”. The abuse occurred at a
counseling center & the church. Shelley & Daniel Lebay seek more than $700,000 in damages.
Source: _Columbus Dispatch_ 10/9/92.

CHURCH SUED FOR NEGLIGENCE. One of several girls who said Alva minister Rev. Robert Bruce Brigden molested her is suing the
First Presbyterian Church for failingto check his background before hiring him. Allegationsof sexual crimes were made at his
former position in Kansas. Charges allege that he molested Alva church girls, ages 4 to 14. The church posted his bond.
Source: _Tulsa Tribune

PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER GETS 40 YEARS. Rev. Robert Bruce Brigden was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting young girls
in his congregation, convicted on 8 counts of lewd molestation & 1 count of rape by instrumentation involving a girl, 7.
Bridgen, 57, was accused of molesting 11 girls, aged 4 to 14, during the 4 years he was at the Alva church. His congregation
put the church up as bond, insisting he was innocent. He was placed in protected custody. Brigden blamed his arrest on a
girl, 4, whose parents were the first to take the children’s allegations seriously. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,”
Brigden wrote his wife about the 4-year-old, whom he described as “4 going on 400 years old”, saying she invited him to spend
the night in her bed, & was mad that he declined.
Source: _Tulsa Tribune_ 8/92, _Tulsa
World_ 9/3/92, _Daily Oklahoman_ 6/14/92.

MINISTER MOLESTER OF 400 SENTENCED. Eugene Church for the Deaf minister Joseph Bernard Ponder, 47, was sentenced to 2 years
for violating probation in 2 felony convictions of 1st degree sexual abuse of boys. He had received a year in jail for 2nd
degree sexual abuse of a boy, 14, in 1988. Officials believe an estimate that he molested 400 boys may be low. “Thismay be
the most prolific abuser of young boys who has ever stood in this court,” said prosecutor Kent Mortimore. “His whole life has
revolved around this his ministry, his choice of careers to put himself in contact with potential victims.” Ponder denies
abusing the boy during a swimming incident, and failed to complete court-ordered sex offender treatment. Source:
_Register-Guard_ 3/5/92.

CHURCH VOLUNTEER CHARGED WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY. Church volunteer Seven Jon Long, 41, was arrested for sodomy and taking
pornographic pictures of young girls under 12 from Assembly of God Church in Rogue River, where he was a youth volunteer. He
told detectives his pictures were art.
Source: _Daily Courier_, Grants Pass, 4/17/92.

CONVICTED PASTOR “RIGHT WITH LORD”. Rev. Virgil Carpenter, 48, pastor of Bible Missionary Church in Ontario, was convicted of
sodomy & sexual abuse of a girl, 9, over a 1-1/2 year period. A jury convicted Carpenter of 2 felony counts of sodomy & 4
felony counts of sexual abuse. He faces 5 additional felony charges in 2 upcoming trials. “I’m really not worried,” he told
supporters who had gathered in the
courtroom before the verdict. “I’m right with the Lord.”
Source: _Corvallis Gazette-Times_ 10/11/92.

LAY PREACHER WITH AIDS TRIED TO INFECT KIDS? Lay preacher Adam Brown, of Roseburg, Oregon, infected with HIV, was indicted
Nov. 13 for sexually abusing children to infect them with AIDS, including 5 counts of attempted murder, 9 counts of sodomy, 4
counts of rape, 5 counts of reckless endangerment, & 3 counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object. Boys & girls
told police he molested them repeatedly, threatening them with knives, scissors & matches. One boy said Brown rubbed semen
into a scratch on his arm. Another said Brown burned a _Bible_, warning that Satan would come unless the child stopped
resisting. Alleged victims include a 3-year-old girl, 7-year-old girl & 8-year-old boy. AIDS tests so far for the children
have been negative.
Source: AP/_Boston Globe_11/29/92.

YOUTH PASTOR JAILED FOR ABUSING GIRL. Sentenced to 60 days in jail for molesting a young girl was Michael Wayne Cross, 32,
youth pastor of Oregon City Evangelical Church. He must undergo a sex offender treatment & register with the state for life
as convicted sex offender. The girl, now 17, said he sodomized her numerous times over a year. An officer said the crimes
occurred at the church or at church functions.
Source: _Oregonian_ 10/29/92.

PROMINENT METHODIST PASTOR WITH AIDS EXPLOITED PARISH? Following the death on July 4 of Rev. William O. Walker, a prominent
Eugene pastor at First United Methodist Church, it was discovered he not only died of AIDS but had used his ministerial
position to make sexual advances to at least 12 men, including 6 ministers. Walker infected his wife Carol with AIDS; she
died in 1990. In November a church superintendent told parishioners that Walker had been accused of making sexual advances to
2 male teenagers at a Methodist church camp 17 years earlier.
Source:_Register-Guard_ 12/6/92.

CHURCH COUNSELING TURNED ABUSIVE. A Fairless Hills couple filed suit against a church counselor and Calvary Full Gospel
Church, alleging the pastor referred them to abusive Aldo Maselli. The depressed woman said he told her he “had prayed about
it and that God told him that it was OK for him to express his feelings of love”, initiating a 2-year sexual relationship.
The suit by Rebecca and Steven Hicks charges negligent, reckless practices contrary to accepted counseling standards, and
battery and sexual abuse.
Source: _Bucks County Courier Times_ 5/20/92.

PRESBYTERY REMOVES PASTOR. The Pittsburgh Presbyteryremoved the associate pastor of the prominent East Liberty Presbyterian
Church on charges of sexual misconduct. Rev. Howard Eybers, 43, is accused by 3 women of making sexual overtures.
Source: _Pittsburgh Post- Gazette_ 3/7/92.

SEXTON GETS 35 YEARS. A sexton at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Whitehall Township was sentenced to 35-70 years in jail
for molesting boys. Adam Tannous, 61, of Allentown, agreed to plead guilty to 7 merged charges of involuntary deviate sexual
intercourse, after originally being charged with more than 4,000 crimes. One victim said Tannous bragged of having sex with
400 boys over the past 40 years. He was removed as pastor of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Hellertown in 1970 because of
similar allegations. In 1972, he was arrested on a morals charge in Emmaus. He was “treated”, not jailed, then expelled from
the ministry. Despite this record, St. Stephen’s hired him in 1976 to be custodian, saying he was rehabilitated. Many victims
say Tannous caused them alcohol problems by plying them with liquor.
Source: _Express-Times_ 12/17/92.

CULT PASTOR NOT PROSECUTED. Officials in Clearfield & Delaware counties won’t prosecute doomsday pastor Anthony Marcolongo of
Johnstown, despite allegations by 6 women followers of sexual assault. “We thought this wasn’t the type of case that tax
dollars should be spent on,” said Assistant DA Sheldon Kovach. The women said the minister broke them physically, making them
work 18-hour days, & filled them with fear of doom in Hell if they did not have sex with him.
Source: _Clearfield Progress_ 9/1/92.

METHODIST MINISTER PLEA BARGAINS. Rev. Wally Walton, Grace United Methodist, Pierre, pleaded no contest to felony charges of
incest & sexual contact with a minor, & was immediately jailed. Walton has agreed to provide details of “sex crimes & illicit
sexual activities” against latchkey kids, Girl Scouts & otherchildren. Additionally, Walton’s wife Betty was charged with
sexual contact with a child, incest, & failure to report a felony. Also indicted are Walton’s adopted twin daughters &
son-in-law, facing similar charges. Walton drove a bus for a local latchkey program. Mrs. Walton worked with the Girl Scouts.
Fellow minister Rev. J. Edwin Coates of the First United Methodist Church in Mitchell, accuses social workers of being
overzealous, & said the arrests were indicative of a “police state” & a witchhunt. Prosecutor Mark Moreno excused the delay
in charging Walton by saying: “If you charge a minister as I’ve done, you’d better be sure that you have some concrete
evidence, because it’s going to totally annihilate his future.” Walton voluntarily surrendered his ministerial credentials.
Methodists dropped a 2-year statute of limitations on disciplinary problems in May 1992, with no time limit on sex offenses.
Source:_Rapid City Journal_ 7/28,29,31/92, 8/1/92.

METHODIST COVER-UP ALLEGED. No charges were broughtwhen youngsters in Piedmont told police & social services they were
molested in 1983 by Rev. Wally Walton (see above) at Piedmont Grace United Methodist Church. After a 2-year sabbatical,
Walton became pastor at Grace United Methodist in Pierre, where he has been charged with sex offenses against children.
The Methodist hierarchy decided he was “not a danger to anyone”, permitted him to give sermons during his 2-year break, &
“felt he should be given another chance”, said Rev. Dick Fisher, formerly Westem Dist. superintendent of the Methodist Church
in Rapid City. “We had two concerns at the time: to protect the people & save a person for the ministry.”
Source: _Rapid City Journal_ 7/29/92.

MOLESTING MINISTER-BROTHERS CONVICTED. Youth ministerDon McCary, 48, was sentenced to 72 years of prison for molesting 4 boys
at his Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn. His twin brother Ron McCary, a Christian comedian and pastor, is in prison after
committing aggravated rape on a boy, 6. Their older brother Richard McCary spent 2 years in the California prisons in the
1980s after conviction on 6 charges of child molestation. Explains sex offender therapist Deloris Roys, Don McCary “had a
perfect camouflage … For the person who uses religion as a camouflage, it gives them the mantle of being an OK or holy
person. We all imbue religious people with the idea they wouldn’t hurt us. They have instant authority, a power we don’t
have, a mantle of respect.” Don McCary had been youth/choir director for 15 years at Central Baptist Church of Hixson, Tenn.
He recorded lewd conversations with young boys and gave copies to his brother Ron in jail.
Source: _Birmingham News_ 5/9/92.

$10 MILLION SOUGHT FROM BAPTISTS. Five civil lawsuits asking for $10 million in damages were filed against the Southern
Baptist Convention for sexual assaults by convicted minister Donald McCary, of Chattanooga, sentenced in April to 72 years in
prison for assaulting 5 boys. James Guenther, general counselor for the SBC in Nashville, shrugged off the suits: “We’ve
probably had a dozen of these cases where a plaintiff has undertaken to show that SBC controls a minister.” He says no SBC
agency beyond the level of the congregation has legal or disciplinary authority over pastors. McCary’s twin brother is also
in prison for abusing children; their older brother is on parole for similar charges.
Source: _Birmingham News_8/21/92.

POLYGAMOUS HILLBILLY PREACHER CHARGED. The leader of the Evangelistic Tabernacle in Martinsville was charged with felonious
seduction & taking indecent liberties with a minor when he “married” a 16-year-old high school junior. Although already
married, he was not charged with polygamy since he did not legally marry the teenager. Rev. Elwood Gallimore, 42, was also
charged with performing marriage ceremonies without a license. His favorite topic for sermons is polygamy, citing such
polygamous biblical characters as David & Solomon. He said the _Bible_ will be his only defense during the trial. Gallimore,
whose dutiful 42-year-old wife was hospitalized for “nerves” after the second “marriage” was proposed, says he is being
prosecuted by “jealous” men. A magistrate ordered him to stay away from the teenager on Jan. 19.
Source: _Washington Post_ 1/21,27,28/92.

PROMINENT EPISCOPALIAN REMOVED. Nationally known Rev. W. Graham Pulkingham, now living in Virginia, wassuspended temporarily
from the Episcopalian priesthood after admitting he initiated a sexual relationship with a man he was counseling, destroying
the man’s marriage. Church officials asked everybody to pray.
Source: _Denver Post_ 8/92.

METHODIST LEADER ADMITS IMPROPER RELATIONS. Newly retired Rev. Edward W. Bauman, once named one of the country’s top
preachers by _Time_ Magazine, admitted in a September letter to the Foundry United Methodist Church in D.C. to “relationships
of a sexual nature … with several women in the congregation”. Bauman, 65, has a TV show, “Bauman _Bible_ Telecast”, airing
worldwide. The admission came only have 2 women filed grievances with Bishop Joseph Yeakel; one had sought counseling from
Bauman. Bauman agreed to seek counseling at Johns Hopkins Hospital & to retire. After a 3rd woman came forward. Bauman agreed
to write a letter to the congregation & make financia restitution to 2 women. Bauman insists the relationships were “fully
consenting” & “could not be interpreted as harassment”. Among Bauman’s congregants were Sen. Bob Dole & Elizabeth Dole, &
former Sen. George McGovern. According to the national United Methodist newsletter, 13% of pastors in 5 Protestant
denominations acknowledged having intercourse with parishioners.
Source: _Washington Post_ 9/18/92.

LUTHERAN PRINCIPAL ACCUSED. Denying charges of indecent liberties with a student is John P. Rossow, who resigned in March as
principal of Central Lutheran Christian School, Tacoma. Now a senior, the youth said Russow took him on outings and French
kissed him for hours when he was a 5th grader, and tried to masturbate him at a state park after plying him with whiskey. A
teenager said, “He had kids at his house a lot.”
Source: _Morning News Tribune_ 4/8/92.

METHODIST MINISTER PLEADS GUILTY. Rev. Lawrence “Larry” E. Trim, 55, of Evangelical Methodist Church in Methow, pleaded
guilty to 3rd degree rape of a child, in connection with an assault of a boy, then
13. Source: _Wenatchee World_ 9/17/92.

CONVICTED MOLESTER RECRUITING BOYS. A convicted child molester barred in Pennsylvania from recruiting choirboys to tour in
Europe is now operating out of Morgantown, WV. John B. Shallenberger, 74, was convicted in 1985 of indecent assault, indecent
exposure and corrupting the morals of a Dutch choirboy, 11. He was convicted in 1961 and 1975 on similar charges. In 1990, a
judge ordered him to reveal his criminal record while recruiting boys and to pay a $5,000 fine for violating a 1978 agreement
with the Bureau of Consumer Protection to reveal his background. He has not paid the fine or signed the petition.
Shallenberger insists, “Every choirmaster and every music teacher in the country knows of my criminal record … You would be
surprised at how many parents beg me to take a second brother on tour.” His July in Paris tour was handled through the
Children’s Choir Federation.
Source: _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_ 2/15/92.

CONVICTED MOLESTER STOPS TOUR. Following an investigation by the West Virginia attorney general’s office, convicted child
molester John B. Shallenberger, 74, folded his Children’s Choir Federation, soliciting boys from grades 4-7 to take 2-week
singing tours in Europe. He had been convicted in 1975 & 1961 for child molestation. In 1991, Pennsylvania authorities
charged him with ignoring a court order to reveal his child molestation
convictions to the parents of recruited children, so he moved to West Virginia. Shallenberger has moved back to Pennslyvania
& is running an elevator repair company.
Source: _Charleston Gazette_ 7/8/92.

MINISTER PLEADS GUILTY TO ABUSING NIECE. Baptist minister Rev. Ernest Lee Rowsey, 51, of Wharton Missionary Baptist Church in
Bim, pleaded guilty to 1count of 1st degree sexual abuse, involving his niece. Originally, he was charged with molesting 2
nieces between 1976-1982, but they agreed to drop all but onecharge against their uncle. The kids were molested for 6 years
starting from ages 5 & 7. Rowley’s sister also said he molested her as long ago as 1969, but at that time, child sexual abuse
was a misdemeanor, & the statute of limitations has expired.
Source:_Charleston Gazette_ 11/1/92.

“NOT A TIME FOR JUDGMENT.” The arrest of Brookfield minister Richard O. Bidwell for lewd & lascivious conduct is “not a time
for judgment” but “a time when we in the Christian community need to offer our support & our prayers,” opines Rev. Kenneth
Wheeler, an official with the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bidwell, pastor of
Calvary Lutheran Church, married with children, was arrested at a park in the afternoon with his genitals exposed, in the
company of another exposed man.
Source: _Milwaukee Sentinel_ 7/14/92.

NEW BRUNSWICK PREACHER CONVICTED. Calling his crimes a “most sick, disturbing and tragic matter”, Justice Thomas Riordon
convicted Pentecostal preacher Rev. Aubrey McCallister of touching, fondling and sodomizing a young girl for 10 years,
beginning when she was 7. The assaults took place at his home and church Sunday school in Minto, New Brunswick. He was
convicted of the same offense 2 years ago and sentenced to 5 years in jail but was granted a new trial. His loyal
congregation packed the courtroom during both trials, and had to be warned not to repeat their angry outburst. Followers
shook the convict’s hand and said they were sticking by him. The victim, now 20, was jeered by the minister’s congregation.
McCallister called her “daddy’s little girl” and rewarded her with Oreo cookies or told her to pray for
forgiveness after each encounter. “Aren’t we sneaky? If we ever get caught, mom would kick us both out,” he
told her.
Source: _Telegraph Journal_, Saint John, N.B., 3/6/92.

“GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME FOR WHAT I’VE DONE.” Nova Scotia religious leader Harold Jollimore, 63, convicted in December of sexual
and indecent assault of young girls, was sentenced to 2 years in prison. He preached biblical passages while sexually abusing
neighbor girls. One 9-year-old who had a breakdown after 8 years of abuse has been in therapy since 1978. He attracted
children by running a candy and soda postore on his property. He told the judge, “God has forgiven me for what I’ve done,”
saying he doesn’t understand why the victims haven’t been able to “put this behind them”. He was also ordered to take
psychiatric counseling during a 3-year probation.
Source: _The Spectator_ 2/11/92.

“HORRIFIC” HARASSMENT IN CHURCH OF CANADA PROMPTS STUDY. The task force on sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment urged
the Church of Canada to develop a code of ethics for ministers because of ~horrific proportions” of sexual harassment in the
church. The panel said women are more likely to be sexually harassed in the church than in the workplace. “A
five-denominational study [in the U.S.] conducted in 1987 found 5.5% of therapists had sex involving intercourse with their
clients, while 12.6% of clergy admitted to sexual involvement including intercourse with their parishioners,” reported Rev.
Peter Lougheed of Evanville, Ontario. Many ministers are engaging in personal counseling without any training or codes of
ethics, said Walter Faquharson, moderator of the United Church. LUTHERAN TEACHER CHARGED. Arrested for sexually assaulting
boys at John Calvin Christian School in Burlington, Ontario is Theodore Richard Vanderveen, 30, who taught 4th grade for 4
years.
Source:_Spectator_ 3/2/92.

CHURCH SUED FOR CHOIRMASTER’S ASSAULTS. St. George’s Cathedral & the Anglican church are being sued over a choirmaster’s
sexual assaults on choirboys. John Gallienne is serving a 6-1/2 year sentence for abusing boys. Now 17 plaintiffs are suing,
claiming damages, plus interest & costs. The suit in part claims church officials were aware of Gallienne’s misconduct & held
at least 5 meetings over a 6- year period to discuss them, yet took no action to protect boys.
Source:_Ottawa Citizen_ 11/11/92.

ANGLICAN PRIEST SUSPENDED WITH PAY. Owen Sound minister Jim Francom was suspended With pay from St. George’s Anglican Church
after being charged in July with rape & assault of a girl under 14. The assaults were alleged to have occurred in London,
Ontario between 1975-1984
Source: _Ottawa Citizen_ 8/18/92.

New South Wales Anglican priest Eric William Griffith, 50, of Gratton, was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to 3
counts of indecent assault & 4 counts of gross indecency against a boy, 14.
Source:_Courier-Mail_ 11/15/92.

SETTLEMENT SHROUDS BAPTIST CASE. A secret settlement was reached just before a civil suit went to jury against Moffett Road
Baptist Church minister Henry Hobson, Mobile, for sexually abusing a girl, 14. Hobson admitted having sexual intercourse with
the girl he referred to as an adopted daughter, once when she accompanied him on church “visitation”. He admitted she “wanted
out”, but called her a “pleasant diversion”. At first he denied her accusations and asked her to say she had lied, for
“damage control”. He resigned in April 1991 after a suicide attempt when the girl confided in the youth pastor about him.
Attorney Robert Cunningham, Jr. told jurors that many church members shunned the 9th grader, blaming her. His attorney
argued, “It certainly was not part of his job to have sexual intercourse with her, and therefore the church is not
responsible,” adding: “He thought it was better she learn about sex from him rather than some young boy at school.”
Source: _Mobile Register_2/12/93.

CULT LEADER GETS 16 YEARS. Fugitive religious leader James Randazzo, convicted in 1989 of sexual exploitation of children,
was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Founder of Spiral of Friends cult, he videotaped sex sessions with teenaged children
during “therapy”. His wife Colleen is serving an 8-year prison term. Randazzo had skipped the country, but was
nabbed last fall in Hungary.
Source: _Rocky MountainNews_ 1/30/93.

MAYER (FINALLY) GETS 3 YEARS. The Rev. Robert E. Mayer, 53, implicated in numerous cases of sexually abusing minors, was
sentenced to 3 years in prison for molesting a girl, 13. Four men also testified during the trial about Mayer’s advances
toward them 9 years ago, when they were 13 and 14. “The evidence indicates a long history of sexually inappropriate conduct
with children and adults,” said prosecutor Mark Cavins. “This crime was not committed on impulse or spur of the moment.”
Mayer is the first priest in Cook Co. tobe sentenced to prison. He continued to maintain his innocence, pleading for mercy:
“As God is my witness I was never alone with the girl,” Mayer told thejudge. Judge Thomas Durkin replied, “God is not your
judge today.”
Source: _Chicago Tribune_ 2/6/93.

YOUTH MINISTER CHARGED. Garden City Church of Christ youth minister Rev. Cameron K. Huffman, 41, was charged with 21 counts
of child molestation for molesting a young boy for a year. Huffman had admitted to being a pedophile during a counseling
session. When the church in Columbus was notified of Huffman’s admission, it fired him and informed the congregation, also
calling police. Police received complaints against Rev. Huffman from other Indiana cities and states, but the 5-year statute
of limitations hashampered some investigations.
Source: _Indianapolis Star_ 1/28/93.

METHODIST MINISTER ASSAULTS DEPRESSED TEENAGER? A lawsuit filed in February accuses United Methodist minister R. Gene Voss of
sexually assaulting a female teenager during counseling sessions for depression at the First United Methodist Church,
Crawfordsville. In 1984 her minister began fondling the 15-year-old, initiating intercourse when she was 16. “Over the next
four years Gene Voss raped the plaintiff over 60 times,” says the lawsuit. The woman has incurred more than $65,000 in
treatment for abuse. Voss gave up his minister credentials in 1991. She is also suing the Crawfordsville church and the
United Methodist South Indiana Conference. “You can say anything in a lawsuit,” was the cavalier response of the conference’s
legal advisor.
Source: _Indianapolis Star_ 2/4/93.

MORE CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST BAPTIST. Washtenaw Co. Dist. Judge Thomas F. Shea threw out 2 charges of 1st-degree criminal
sexual conduct against Baptist deacon Mark Foeller, leaving 6 counts of criminal sexual conduct. The deacon and bus driver at
North Sharon Baptist Church is accused of raping a boy, 9, twice, at the church, which has a campaign to bus low-income
children from 4 counties to its Sunday school and church camp. The dismissals follow earlier dismissals against assistant
pastor Timothy Lee Leonard, 33, originally charged with 12 similar counts. Judges dismissed all his charges, saying the
alleged victims were either too young to testify or that their testimony was too vague. At least one family will file a civil
lawsuit against the North Sharon Baptist Church and Leonard, according to Ann Arbor attorney Mark A. Hopper. “We will sue the
church for negligent hiring and negligent retention of those workers.” Leonard has been invited back to the church and is
directing its music programs. A mother told a reporter she was “stunned” and “numb” by the judge’s decision. Shea ruled
that a 9-year-old could not testify about being raped in the church nursery, because she couldn’t say on which day it
happened.
Source: _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 2/5&18/93.

MOLESTER STILL LISTED IN CHURCH ANNUAL. A LutheranChurch-Missouri Synod pastor who admitted to sexually molesting a Duluth
boy and who is being sued for molestation by 3 others, is still listed as a pastor in good standing in the synod’s 1993
Lutheran Annual. Rev. Daniel Reeb admitted in 1991 that he molested a parishioner, 13, several times in the 1960s, and made
official testimony about it to church officials. His victim and several others have filed lawsuits. Reeb resigned a year ago,
but was put on “restricted status” and can still preach. He moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Source: _News-Tribune_ 3/3/93.

LUTHERAN PASTOR ADMITS SEX WITH BOY. Cloquet pastor Wayne Vetter of Zion Lutheran Church pleaded guilty to 1st degree
criminal sexual contact with a juvenile. He is in counseling for sexual abuse and is expected to be sentenced to a
correctional center. He served ministries in Madison, Wis., and Grand Forks, N.D. A man came forward to say Vetter had
molested him in Grand Forks, but the statute of limitations has expired. Vetter admitted to a habit of anonymous Sex
in public places.
Source: _Duluth News-Tribune_3/19/93.

POLL REVEALS WIDESPREAD ABUSE. 7% of Minnesotan protestants personally know someone who has been sexually abused by a member
of the clergy, while 5% of Catholics did, and 2% say they have been touched by a clergyperson in a way that made them
uncomfortable, according to a _Star Tribune_/WCCO-TV Minnesota Poll phone survey of 1,222 Minnesotans was taken from Jan. 26
to Feb. 5. 1991 survey of Minnesota clergy showed 15% of mainline Protestant clergy admitted to an affair outside of.
Source: _Star Tribune_ 2/21/93

CHARGES REDUCED FOR PASTOR. Third-degree sexual assault charges were reduced to attempted contributing to delinquency of a
minor against Beatrice pastor Rev. Norman Scott Callahan, 50, associate pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church. He is
accused of sexual contact with a boy, 15, and was suspended for 60 days from his post.
Source: _Omaha World-Herald_3/20/93.

MENNONITE REV. RAPED DAUGHTER? The Rev. Eugenio Matos, 61, was charged with 18 counts of repeatedly raping his daughter over
an 11- year period. The pastor of the Spanish Mennonite Church in Trenton has 12 children. He is accused of sexually
assaulting the girl when she was 5 in 1981, continuing the abuse until his arrest in March, 1992. Source: _Trenton
Times_ 2/4/93.

EPISCOPAL PRIEST CHARGED WITH SEXUAL BATTERY. An Episcopal priest, Douglas Hodges, 57, was charged with sexual battery, a
3rd-degree felony, in a 1991 incident involving a parishioner in counseling. A Fostoria woman and her husband, who said
Hodges had sexual intercourse with her during counseling, had previously filed a civil suit against Hodges, Bishop James
Moodey of the Episcopal diocese of Ohio, Trinity Episcopal Church, Fostoria, and the owner of the counseling center. An
episcopal official says Hodges is no longer a priest, but declined further comment.
Source: _Toledo Blade_ 2/11/93.

PARISH SUPPORTS PORTLAND PREYING PASTOR. Prominent pastor Rev. Willie B. Smith, 64, former president of Ecumenical Ministries
of Oregon, is accused of sexually abusing 3 teenage girls at First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. He was charged
with 11 counts of 1st degree sexual abuse, a felony, and 1 count of 3rd degree sexual abuse, a misdemeanor. Pastors in the
community werequick to speak about his “exemplary” work. Two of the victims told police Smith had cornered them in his church
office and groped them. A third said she was repeatedly abused by Smith for 16 months, beginning in September 1990. The
victims were 12, 13, and 17 at the time of the incidents. Almost every parishioner lined up to hug,kiss and reassure Smith
following the arrest.
Source: _Oregonian_ 3/13,15/93.

EPISCOPAL PRIEST, “ABOVE REPROACH”, SUED, INVESTIGATED. Six women including one filing a $4 million civil lawsuit have
accused ByronBruce Newell, 60, former assistant pastor of Falls Church Episcopal Church, of sexual molestation or advances.
The plaintiff alleges Newell forced her into sexual activities during counseling sessions at the church for 2 years, telling
her that her sexual feelings toward him would bring her closer to God. Episcopal officials said they removed him from his
pastoral role and ordered counseling after learning of complaints by women in 1988. However, they only launched a full
inquiry last September. Newell, now a fundraiser for Trinity Episcopal School for the Ministry near Pittsburgh, is named in
the suit, along with the church, the diocese, the bishop and church pastor John W. Yates ll. According to the suit, Yates
told the woman what happened during counseling was her fault, and did not act on complaints from 5 other women that Newell
had verbally or physically harassed them. The dean of the seminary insisted Newell “has more than amply repaid our trust. His
behavior has been above reproach”.
Source: _Washington Post_ 3/20/93.

PASTOR ADMITS ABUSE OF GIRLS. Admitting having intercourse with a female teenager and indecently touching another, Rev. Larry
G. Johnson pleaded guilty to 2 counts against him dating from 1977-79 while pastor of Buffalo Wesleyan Church. He recently
resigned his position as superintendent of the Dakota District of the Wesleyan Church
Source: _Rapid City
Journal_ 2/28/93.

Lake Wales, FL. The pastor at the Church of the Nazarene has been charged with sexually assaulting a male 17-year-old youth leader three times in 2001. The Rev. Gene Francis, 52, of Lake Wales, was arrested Tuesday and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, June 4, 2003)
Lake Wales minister arrested in sexual assault case

Tuscon, AZ. The Rev. David Valencia, 47, assistant pastor of a Pentecostal church is expected in court Wednesday on rape charges issued by Pennsylvania authorities. In Pennsylvania, Valencia was an assistant pastor at Christ Church at Grove Farm, an interdenominational church that uses Anglican liturgy. The pastor of Christ Church, the Rev. John Guest, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Valencia was dismissed in late 2001 because he was found to have pornography on an office computer after he was warned about a similar incident months earlier. (Tucson Citizen, May 31, 2003)
Rev. David Valencia allegedly had sex with a 17-year-old girl he was counseling

An associate pastor of a San Fernando Valley chapel was sentenced to 32 months in prison on Tuesday for failing to register as a sex offender. Ilger, a former second-grade teacher, was convicted in 1988 of molesting four students in his San Luis Obispo classroom. After being released from jail, Ilger and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he took a position with Hope Chapel of the Valley in Canoga Park. “We’ve lived and learned a painful lesson,” the Rev. Jeff Fischer of Hope Chapel said outside court. Fischer has said he and about 30 church elders knew that Ilger had molested young girls before he was hired.
Sentencing (Associated Press, April 3, 2003)

Marty A. Hynes, 33, is charged with eight counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, three counts of criminal sexual penetration of a minor and one count of attempted criminal sexual contact of a minor. Hynes was a youth pastor at the First Assembly of God church when the alleged incidents occurred, between July and December 2001. (Las Cruces Sun-News, March 24, 2003)
Trial of former youth pastor begins

Dayton, OH. A Trotwood minister, whose lawyer said he has been a “sex addict” since age 10, sought treatment rather than face trial in a Brookville police-run Internet sting that presented a virtual 14-year-old boy in a chat room. But a Montgomery County judge denied his plea for treatment Tuesday. Turner’s attorney, Dwight Brannon, wrote “He had his first sexual experience with another male at the age of 19 while in college. Shortly after he began surfing the Web . . . his addiction slowly began to grow.” Turner had been pastor of Anchor Community Church, 38 S. Fairgreen Drive, for seven years when he was arrested last summer. (Dayton Daily News, 01.29.2003)
Minister arrested in police-run Internet sting

Riviera Beach, FL. A prominent minister, his church and deacon have reached a $600,000 settlement with a mentally disabled man who accused the minister of rape. The Rev. Thomas Masters, pastor of the New Macedonia Church of Riviera Beach, and Church Mutual, insurer for the church, negotiated the settlement with the man, according to his attorneys and court papers filed Monday. The man, who has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old, attended New Macedonia and accused Masters of coercing him to smoke crack cocaine and then raping him twice on church property over Thanksgiving weekend in 1991. (The Palm Beach Post, January 14, 2003)
West Palm Beach minister, church pay $600,000

Anaheim, CA. Anaheim pastor admitted Monday he fondled two teen-age girls 18 years ago while working as a part-time counselor at a Colorado church a decade before he was assigned to an Orange County church. “I was acting like an irresponsible teen-ager. There’s no excuse for what I did,” the Rev. Greg Tucker of Anaheim First Church of the Nazarene told The Orange County Register. The church settled lawsuits by two women, who said Tucker, then 22, molested them when they were 16. A Colorado jury sided with the women in a civil trial, ordering Tucker to pay the two $70,000. Tucker said he never told church leaders about the indiscretions before his ordination in Southern California seven years ago. In Colorado, sexual relations with a teen-ager were not considered criminal then, which led the women to sue for civil damages. The former youth pastor is now a senior pastor in a Nazarene Church in Anaheim, CA. The Nazarene General Superintendent’s remarks about the case were very telling, i.e. “This happened a long time ago. . .the man has ‘grown’ since then. . . isn’t the Christian faith all about forgiveness. . .”(North County Times, April 17, 2002)

A Christian pastor in Indonesia was sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexually abusing seven refugee children under his care, officials said Tuesday. Saderah Sudiro, a Protestant clergyman with the Foundation For the Village Bible Society, was found guilty Monday of molesting refugee children ages 14 and 15 in his house in Solo in Central Java, said prosecutor Ika Ria Wati. “For more than a year he abused the minors who sought refuge in his foundation,” said Wati. (Associated Press, April 30, 2002)
pastor gets four years for molesting refugee children

CHELSEA, VT. Pastor faces trial or stiffer sentence for child molestation. A judge on Tuesday denied a plea agreement for a former Newbury pastor accused of child molestation. The decision means Rev. Joseph A. Rinaldi may go to trial or receive a stiffer sentence on charges of molesting children while he was pastor of the Newbury Bible Church and principal of the Newbury Christian School between 1993 and 1998. “The crimes you committed are heinous crimes,” said Vermont District Court Judge Amy Davenport. “They are crimes that have left long lasting scars on their victims. And it is because of that, in the court’s view, the court cannot accept the plea agreement.” Rinaldi had pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child in exchange for a prison sentence of two years. He admitted fondling three boys in his care. (The Associated Press, December 03, 2002)http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/beec6c67c
Newbury Pastor Pleads Innocent To Molestation

South Kingstown, New Zealand. 53-year-old Bruce C. DiMaria,the pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Wakefield who also served as a teaching assistant in the South Kingstown School District’s Farm School for learning-disabled students was arrested Friday by North Kingstown police and charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault for alleged incidents involving a 17-year-old female student who has autism and cerebral palsy. (NKStandard Times, Nov. 17, 2002)
Youth Paster charged

Tulsa, OK. Son Minh Rockstroh, 48, was arrested Saturday on three counts of rape by instrumentation and one count of lewd molestation of a child. He was jailed about 2 a.m. Saturday and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail. The allegations have no apparent link to his work as a schoolteacher but to his leadership of a small religious group called Church Life, Tulsa police said. The victim and her mother met Rockstroh through Church Life, whose members meet in each others’ homes, Detective Chuck Haywood said. “There is not a pastor of the church, but everyone considered him to be the guy in charge,” Haywood said of Rockstroh. During an interview with police, Rockstroh admitted that he had molested the girl on three occasions, jail records show. (Tulsa World, 11/12/2002)
Church Leader Arrested

TISHOMINGO, OK. Kentucky pastor accused of raping a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl has surrendered to Johnston County officials. The Rev. Chadwick L. Keathley, associate pastor of Ark of Mercy Church of God in Winchester, Ky., responded Tuesday to an arrest warrant issued Aug. 26. Prosecutors charged Keathley, 27, with lewd molestation, first-degree rape and rape by instrumentation. He was released after posting a $25,000 cash bond and an Oct. 22 preliminary hearing was scheduled. The alleged incident occurred during summer 2000 at a Church of God gathering at Camp Bond Youth Camp near Tishomingo. (The Winchester Sun, Sept. 2002)
Pastor surrenders to Oklahoma officials

Concord, NH. Charles Gravenhorst, the self-described pastor who once preached his fringe Christian ministry on Concord Community TV, was arrested again yesterday, this time by federal agents for allegedly sending obscene material over the Internet and for using the Internet to induce teenage girls to engage in sex acts. Gravenhorst, 45, was charged earlier this year with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in her Windham, Maine, home. The police said that he had met the girl over the Internet. (August 13, 2002, Concord Monitor)
Pastor arrested again on sex chargeshttp://www.cmonitor.com/stories/crime/2002/new%5Fgravenhorst%5Farrest%5F2002.shtml

Cape Coral, Florida. The FBI has issued an arrest warrant for a former minister and radio evangelist after seizing child pornography, weapons and other items from his home, records show. Troy Cecil Snowden, 59, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on charges of possessing child pornography, wire fraud, transporting a child for illegal purposes and possession of a shotgun. (August 11, 2002), AP.
Evangelist on child abuse charges

Baton Rouge, LA. A Baton Rouge minister is of jail on a $15,000 bond Wednesday following his arrest on molestation charges. Danny W. Johnson, Jr. was a youth pastor at an unknown church here in Baton Rouge where he molested a juvenile girl from 1997 to 1999, according to police. (July 9, 2002, WBRZ)
Minisiter arrested on molestation charges
WBRZ report

Charlotte, NC. A worker at a Charlotte church after school program has pleaded guilty to four counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor. Investigators said Larry McCrae, 38, fondled three boys, 10 to 14 years old during the after school program at the Chapel of Christ the King Church on East 17th Street in Charlotte. (July 2, 2002, NBC6-TV)http://www.nbc6.com/news/local/nbc6-070202-ag-mccrae.3f88315a.html

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — The mother of a 5-year-old girl has filed a lawsuit against the Gospel Outreach Church of New Port Richey, alleging that her daughter was molested because church officials failed to screen the background of a church volunteer. Alfonso Morales, 54, pleaded guilty last month to molesting the girl on a church bus in May 2001. He also pleaded guilty to molesting a second 5-year-old girl in the church parking lot in November 2000. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Morales was previously convicted in New York of sexual battery on a child. He was released from prison in 1992 after serving five years. (June 25, 2002, St. Petersburg Times)

Lake Wales, FL. William Benjamin Wells, 36, pastor of Christian Harvest Ministries, was arrested on June 6 and charged with two counts of molestation on a victim less than 12 years old, two counts of sexual assault on a victim under 18 years of age, and one count of sexual battery on a victim under 12 years old. (June 20, 2002; Lake Wales News)
Paster Wells arrested
News Report

Kansas City, KS. Reginald G. Robinson, 24, a resident of Kansas City, was charged by the Jackson County Prosecutor on Monday, May 20, with one count of statutory rape, three counts of statutory sodomy and one count of child molestation.According to the police report, most of the incidents of molestation occurred in the basement of the Beth Judah Ministries Church of God In Christ. (The Call, June 14, 2002)
Church Youth Leader Charged In Molestation Of 13 Year Old

Baker, LA. A Baker minister accused of molesting four children is being sought after failing to surrender to East Baton Rouge sheriff’s officials Thursday. An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury indicted McFarland on Wednesday on four counts of sexual battery, two counts of oral sexual battery, four counts of molestation of a juvenile, four counts of aggravated crime against nature and two counts of second-degree kidnapping. The indictment accuses McFarland of performing sex acts with four children from 1990 through 1998. The children ranged in age from 8 to 16. Prosecutor Kim Brooks said McFarland initially met the children while working as a minister at Hightime Evangelistic Center in Baker. (June, 14, 2002, The Advocate)
Rev. McFarland arrested on multiple counts
Newspaper Report

Columbus, GA. After four days of testimony and lawyers’ arguments, the child molestation case against the Rev. Wilmer D. Williams will remain without a verdict through the Memorial Day weekend, Muscogee Superior Court Judge Robert Johnston decided Friday. (May 25, 2002, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer)
Report in Cincinnatti Enquirer
Minister on trial

England. Brother Stair Arrested: Criminal Sexual Conduct & Breech Of Trust. Mr. Stair’s wife Teresa claims “Brother” Stair admits to having sex with several “women” at the community. The claims and charges revolve around the fact that the women in question were underage, which means they were under the age of eighteen when Ralph Stair allegedly had sex with them. “Brother” Stair is sixty-nine. (May 16, 2002 ) Youth Paster charged

Payne County, OK. Former youth minister of River of Life Church, Rex Jason Sumner, pleaded guilty in Payne County District Court on Friday to four counts of oral sodomy, four counts of lewd molestation, one count of second-degree rape and one count of indecent proposal to a child. (April 16, 2002, The Daily O’Collegian, Oklahoma State Univ.)
Former Youth Minister pleads Guilty
Ex-youth leader admits abuse
Report: Sex Scandal Brewing at Riverside Church

Newbury, NH. Joseph A. “Pastor Joe” Rinaldi, 60, is charged with five counts of lewd/lascivious conduct with a child. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. The charges cover a time period from 1993 to 1998 and involve three boys whose ages ranged from 10 to 15 at the time of the alleged abuse. An affidavit refers to other alleged victims, one as old as 19. Rinaldi met the boys through the Newbury Bible Church, where he was pastor, and/or the Newbury Christian School, where he was principal. (The Caledonian-Record News, April 9, 2002)
Newbury Pastor Pleads Innocent To Molestation

SPRINGFIELD, TN. A former youth minister was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday after he pleaded no contest to charges that he raped one of his congregation’s 13-year-old boys. Before his arrest, Spain had worked two years as a youth pastor at the First Assembly of God Church. (Tennessean.com, March 2, 2002)
Former youth minister sentenced in boy’s rape

CASSOPOLIS, MI. – A former Cass County minister was sentenced Friday to at least 10 year in prison for molesting a child. John Charles Yeager, 54, pleaded no contest to a sexual assault charge. Yeager is already serving an 8-20-year term in a case involving another sex offense. The sentences will run concurrently. In 1998, he was convicted of molesting a teenager who knew one of his daughters. Yeager was once a pastor at First Congregational Church in Constantine. (Feb. 7, 2002; WWMT TV) Convicted pastor sentenced again
WWMT report

RAYMOND, NH. — A 20-year-old man who alleges a Raymond youth pastor molested him when he was 14 has told authorities that the church member often came to his house to punish him with a wooden cutting board and paddle, a police affidavit said.

Cranford was hired as a full-time youth pastor in February 2001. Despite being a registered sex offender, Cranford was hired as an associate youth pastor and the music minister at the New Life Assembly of God church. According to the affidavit, Cranford allegedly got on top of the boy, pinned him down, and performed a sexual act. Cranford was convicted of sexually assaulting a child while serving as an associate pastor at a church in Groton, Mass., police said. (Jan. 26, 2002; The New Hampshiore Union Leader)
Raymond man alleges he was molested as a teenhttp://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=8385
Victim’s emotional scars often last a lifetimehttp://www.theunionleader.com/articles_show.html?article=8405

Republic, KS. The pastor of a Republic church faces three to 10 years in prison in Kansas on six sexual abuse charges that date back to 1979. Russell Winkler, pastor at Republic’s First Christian Church for the past eight years, pleaded no contest to the charges Friday in an Atchison, Kan., courthouse. The judge found him guilty of six counts of aggravated enticement of a child. The abuse occurred between 1979 and 1981 while Winkler was associate pastor and youth director of the First Christian Church in Atchison. The victims were all boys, ages 12-13. (The Springfield News-Leader, Jan. 1, 2002)
Minister pleads no contest to sexual abuse charges that date back to 1979

Eastland, TX. Case No. 31,691-98, is set for trial 04/23/01 in the 12th judicial district of Angelina County, Lufkin Texas. Defendants in this case are e)United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI) in Saint Louis MO, k)Texas District of the United Pentecostal Church,)United Pentecostal Church of Eastland Texas, n)Bobby Hart and Jonathan Mark Hart. Jonathan Mark Hart was convicted in Eastland, TX, Feb. 1999, on 3 counts of sexual assault of a minor child. The female children were 15 and 16 years of age and members of the Youth Group at Eastland United Pentecostal Church. Jonathan Hart attended Bible College at o)Gateway College of Evangelism and was acting Assistant Pastor at the Eastland United Pentecostal Church. He and his wife were the designated Youth Directors as well. Assaults on these young girls occurred on Church property and on Church related trips supervised by Jonathan Hart. Bobby Hart is the Father of Jonathan Hart and was also the Pastor of the Eastland Church at the time of the assaults. Bobby Hart appointed Jonathan Hart to both leadership positions. (2001)
Pentecostal minister Charged
Press Release

MEADVILLE, LA. A Meadville minister was arrested Friday for an alleged sexual offense with a 9-year-old girl. Derwin Rogers, 43, was being held without bond Friday on charge of statutory rape of a female younger than 12 years old, said Franklin County Sheriff James Newman. Rogers, the pastor of Emmanuel Full Gospel Church in Meadville, is believed to have assaulted the girl at a house near the church that belonged to a church member, Newman said. Rogers is also being charged with sexual battery charges filed by a 19-year-old former employee at the day care. Rogers pleaded not guilty to the charges last week in Franklin County. (The Natchez Democrat, Dec. 1, 2001)
Minister charged in rape of girl

FORT WORTH (AP) – A former North Texas pastor has been indicted on counts of sexual assault and indecency with three children, and police say allegations against the man go back at least 10 years.

Evidence collected at Jon Warnshuis’ house in Argyle has led to accusations that he sexually abused at least five boys in Argyle, Grapevine and Laredo, police say.

On Thursday, a Denton County grand jury returned three indictments against Warnshuis, 41, alleging two counts of indecency with a child, eight counts of sexual assault and four counts of aggravated sexual assault, District Attorney Bruce Isaacks said.

Argyle Police Chief William Tackett said the indictments involve three children at Oak Hills Evangelical Free Community Church near Argyle, where Warnshuis was pastor for four years.

In the mid-1980s, Warnshuis moved from California to Texas, where he worked toward a master’s degree in divinity from Dallas Theological Seminary, officials have said.

Police are also investigating accusations of sexual assault of boys at a church that Warnshuis attended in the early 1980s in Escondido, Calif. Saturday, November 10, 2001.
Youth pastor faces charges, arraignment lists sexual abuse count
Church rebuilding faith after pastor’s disgrace

DENVER, CO. – A convicted child molester whose appeal of his sentence led to shorter terms for more than 1,500 sex offenders is accused of molesting a 14-year-old student from his Bible-study class. Fort Lupton police issued a warrant Monday for Vance Martin, 35, on charges he sexually assaulted the girl. He had not been arrested Tuesday. (10/30/2001) AP.
Colorado child molester accused of assaulting girl in Bible-study class
Molester in Jail on New Charges
Dark History Eludes Church’s Eyes
Molester in Jail on New Charges
Church Problems

Sonoma County, CA. A judge ruled yesterday that Rev. Dick Bruner, a Petaluma resident and former pastor at Christ Church North Bay in Novato, will stand trial for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old boy. According to the alleged victim, now 16, Bruner molested him on three different occasions in 1998. Two of the alleged incidents happened at a retreat near Occidental, the youth said, and the third took place at Bruner’s home. The alleged victim said Bruner, 59, kissed him on the lips and rubbed his inner thigh in one incident. Another time Bruner, allegedly, asked the boy to sit on his lap while the pastor was wearing only a towel and kissed the boy again. (The Petaluma Argus-Courier, Oct. 10, 2001)
Petaluma pastor faces molest trial

WORCESTER, Mass. – A judge has rejected a Millbury man’s assertion that he was seeking religious solace when he confessed to church leaders that he sexually abused three girls and has refused to suppress the statements as evidence against the man. Daniel R. Ferris, 56, a former Sunday school teacher, citing the so-called ”clergy-penitent privilege,” hoped to prevent a jury from hearing his confessions. State law prohibits members of the clergy from disclosing confessions made to them in their professional capacity or any conversation made from someone seeking religious comfort or advice. Ferris is awaiting trial in Worcester Superior Court on charges of indecent assault and battery on a child, indecent assault and battery, and posing a child in state of nudity. (9/22/2001, Portsmouth Herald)
Judge refuses to suppress statements in abuse case

Bishop, GA. Minister Larry Michael Holmes, pled guilty to molesting a 14-year-old girl, and was sentenced to five years in prison followed by 15 years of probation. (Aug. 17, 2001, Athens Banner-Herald)

Boston, MA. – A popular minister credited with turning around the lives of troubled youth resigned Friday amid allegations that he fondled a teen-ager in his care. Williamson allegedly touched an 18-year-old five years ago. The man, now 23, has told police of the alleged sexual assault, according to the Rev. Gilbert Thompson, pastor at New Covenant Christian Church where Williamson was a congregation member and a deacon. (July 22, 2001, Cape Code Times)
Youth Paster arrestedhttp://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/archives/2001/jul/22/bostonyouth22.htm

PERKASIE, PA. A Perkasie man who volunteered as a youth ministries leader at an Upper Bucks church faces up to 90 years in jail after admitting in Bucks County court in Doylestown yesterday that he sexually abused 20 boys.

Howard Earl White, 39, will be sentenced within 90 days, following an evaluation by the state Megan’s Law board, which will determine if he is a sexually violent predator.

County Judge Kenneth Biehn revoked White’s $375,000 bail and ordered him held in county prison until sentencing. But at the urging of White’s attorney, Richard Fink, Biehn agreed to allow White to turn himself over to prison officials Friday, so that arrangements can be made to place him in protective custody at the jail.

White, of South Main Street, hung his head and looked at the floor as the charges against him were read aloud in court. He did not testify, and refused comment as he left the courthouse. June 26, 2001; Bucks County Courier Timeshttp://www.phillyburbs.com/couriertimes/news/news/897306.htm

A lifelong member of one of Atlanta’s largest and best known churches, the Cathedral at Chapel Hill, filed suit this week charging founding pastor Bishop Earl Paulk with child molestation. The charges are the most serious yet in a string of sexual misconduct allegations against Paulk and several other male members of his family that span decades.

Jessica Battle, daughter and granddaughter of prominent members of Paulk’s staff, said in her suit that from the time she was 7 until she was about 11 years old, Paulk “engaged in a pattern of conduct . . . that included caressing her, fondling her sexual organs, performing oral sex on her and having sexual intercourse with her.” She also charged that five years ago, when she was 17, Paulk had forcible intercourse with her. Some of the acts occurred on church property or during church-sponsored events, according to the suit, filed Wednesday in DeKalb County State Court. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Apr. 14, 2001)

Grayslake, MD. Rev. Kurt Behrel, 51, pastor of a Grayslake church, was arrested and charged with molesting two boys in the 1980s. Officers found cocaine and illegal guns in Behrel’s home during his arrest. (02.06.01, The Daily Herald)

EVERETT, WA. Forrmer youth pastor has been charged with fondling a 10-year-old boy he met at church. A charge of first-degree child molestation was filed Monday against Michael J. Babcock, 31, formerly a pastor at Sonrise Chapel. Under questioning with his lawyer present, Babcock admitted he touched the boy sexually during a sleepover at his home in July 1999, Snohomish County Deputy Prosecutor Tobin Darrow wrote in documents filed in Superior Court. (12/12/2000, AP) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/fndl12ww.shtml

Linder, pastor of Pace Apostolic Church, was being held without bail at county jail.

Santa Rosa County sheriff’s skesman Jim Lyle said Linder has been investigated several times for sexual abuse since the 1990s, but he was able to keep his victims from talking by threatening to kill his wife. But Beverly Linder died in May of a stroke and Floyd Linder was arrested after detectives again interviewed his alleged victims, Lyle said.

Linder’s victims ranged in age from 5 to 24 years old when they were assaulted, records show. But Sherell Farmer, Linder’s stepdaughter, denies her stepfather assaulted anyone. “I live right behind him. There’s no way,” said Farmer, 33 and the oldest of eight girls and one boy raised by the Linders. AP 10/1/2000
Pace pastor pleads not guilty
Child molester preacher sentenced; Pace pastor gets 20 years

Two South Carolina preachers – the Rev. Johnny William Cabe and the Rev. Shelton Joel Shirley, both of Hisway Ministries – were charged with bilking believers out of $7 million in an overseas investment fraud(unknown 3/24/2000)

TAMPA, FL. – The search of an unpaid storage locker turned up pictures of young naked boys and led police to a church youth counselor who now faces child sex charges.

Marvin C. Thompson, 52, was being held without bond on 8 counts of sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct with children after his arrest in connection with sexual acts on two boys, ages 5 and 8.

Thompson had worked as a volunteer counselor for the Royal Rangers, a youth group affiliated with Temple Terrace Faith Assembly and had worked with at least one other Tampa church youth group, according to investigators.

The alleged victims, however, were not members of the church groups, they said. Police said Thompson had not paid his rental fee on a storage locker and when the owner opened it, he found hundreds of pictures of naked boys. The owner called police.

Detectives said they are searching for other possible victims and that after his arrest, Thompson told officers of sex acts with children dating back to the 1960s. AP 6/7/2000

CLEARWATER – A former pastor has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges he molested two young girls.

Rev. Charles Robinson, 63, former pastor of an AME Church in St. Petersburg, pleaded no contest to 5 felony charges of sexual contact with parishioners, ages 13 and 15, in 1998 and 1999.

Investigators said while sexual relations were consensual with the older girl, the younger teen told police he forced her. Under Florida law, it is illegal for an adult to have sex with a minor even if the contact is consensual.

In an agreement with prosecutors, Robinson pleaded guilty to 4 counts of handling and fondling a child under 16 and one of performing a lewd and lascivious act.

Robinson faced a maximum sentence of 75 years in prison if convicted at trial. The prosecutor said the minister was offered the plea agreement because the victims’ families wanted to avoid the trauma of trial.AP 6/7/2000

FREEHOLD. NJ. – A street preacher who helped “society’s rejects” has been sentenced to six years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in his care.

Superior Court Judge Ira E. Kreizman acknowledged that Michael R. McCarthy, 56, had done some good during his years as a minister. But he told McCarthy he had done “a terrible thing” as the girl’s legal guardian.

“There are some lives you have saved,” he said. “But there is at least one life that has been ruined by what you have done.”

The victim, now 20, told Kreizman that she didn’t know what to do when the assaults started. She no longer trusts men, she said.

An evaluation of McCarthy concluded that he was not a repetitive and compulsive sex offender but that he was “opportunistic, hedonistic and exploitive,” Kreizman said. “She was the clay, he was the potter,” the judge said. “He was able to mold her in the impression he wanted. She was incapable of resisting.”

McCarthy first addressed the judge, then turned to the victim and apologized. “I am terribly sorry for what happened,” he said. “It was a horrible event in my life, and I apologize to the victim. I apologize for any hurt or harm I have done. I realize the gravity of what I have done.”

McCarthy told Kreizman he was concerned about what would happen to the people he shelters at his Set Free Ministries in Long Branch if he goes to jail. His wife works full time as a flight attendant and is the sole support of the family, he said.

“My concern is not for myself,” he said. “I understand I am responsible and have to pay for what I have done.”

Shortly after his arrest in 1996, his attorney said McCarthy denied the allegations. McCarthy said the girl – entrusted to his care at age 14 by her father because of family conflicts – invented the charges because his wife was going to punish her for refusing to do household chores. He pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual assault in Dec. In exchange for the plea – which the victim agreed with – 7 other counts, including one of witness tampering, were dismissed.

As McCarthy was led away in handcuffs, some of his supporters who packed one side of the courtroom began to cry. Others were angry.

“You happy now?” one man said angrily to a woman sitting next to the victim. “Loser,” she replied. A court attendant called for order as the victim and her supporters were led out of the courtroom. Ashbury Park Press, 6/24/2000

GAFFNEY, NC. – A 22-year-old church youth minister has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for molesting a teen-ager in 1998.

A jury found Chad Severance, of Bessemer City, guilty of fondling one teen-age boy. Severance is expected to be tried in two similar cases later.

All three boys were members of the New Harvest Church of God, which hired Severance as minister of music in May 1998. The boys said Severance would make excuses to spend the night with them either at their homes or at his.

Each described waking during the night to find Severance fondling them.

Severance, who serves as a minister of music at a North Carolina church, denied the charges. During testimony, he said he never slept with any of the boys when they visited his home. He said he was invited to stay at the home of one of the boys by the teen’s mother. 7/23/2000

TULSA – A former Sunday school teacher who was sentenced to more than two life terms in his state case for multiple sex crimes against children has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

John Perry Sanger, 54, of Bristow, was indicted on one count each of use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depiction, interstate transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography in the July through Sept. 1999 incidents. The fourth count would require the forfeiture of his real estate in Bristow and a considerable amount of computer and electronic equipment if he is convicted of the possession count.

Sanger pleaded guilty in state court March 29 to 3 counts of rape by instrumentation and 2 counts each of lewd molestation, indecent exposure and lewd acts against a child under the age of 16. A judge ordered him to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 20 years, as punishment.

Bristow police have contended that Sanger’s case might include up to 20 victims, although the charges stemmed from only two, a 9-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, who attended church with Sanger.

The boy testified at the state hearing that he had on several occasions accepted invitations to go to Sanger’s home to play computer games. On one of these occasions, the boy said, he was asked to take pictures of a nude Sanger on a bed with five “grown-up” women. The girl testified at the preliminary hearing that Sanger once asked her and another girl to undress during a game of “strip” poker at his home. Other juveniles were in the house when the victim lost a card game and Sanger performed a sexual act with her, according to a court affidavit. Federal charges were alluded to in Nov. when officials revealed that the FBI was also investigating the case.

An FBI agent said then that prosecutors would not take the case before a grand jury until federal officials had investigated further. World 6/10/2000

KNOXVILLE, TN. The former youth minister of a Powell church faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. The charges come after a computer consultant found pornographic images of children on a church laptop, according to the church’s senior pastor.

Jason Patrick Edelen, 24, was arrested on child pornography charges, according to an arrest report at the Sheriff’s Department.

Edelen was served with criminal warrants shortly after midnight, according to the arrest report. Edelen faces charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, the report states. Both charges are felonies.

The charges apparently stem from an investigation that began after a computer consultant scouring a church computer for viruses came across files containing pornographic images of children, according to Brian Kearns, the senior minister at Lighthouse Christian Church.

According to the Tennessee Code Annotated, both offenses deal with the possession of materials depicting minors engaged in sexual activity or simulated sexual activity.

According to Kearns, on June 26 church officials discovered files containing pornographic images on a church-owned laptop computer. The next day, church leaders confronted Edelen, who had permission to use the machine, Kearns said.

Kearns said Edelen resigned minutes after being told he was suspended. Kearns said officials then turned the information over to authorities for further investigation. He said church officials believe the incident only concerns images obtained over the Internet.

“There’s no evidence there was physical interaction with anyone,” Kearns said, adding that he didn’t believe that any children in the church’s youth group saw any of the images.

Edelen was the first youth minister ever at Lighthouse Christian Church, which was founded in March 1998. Edelen was hired two months later.

“This is difficult to take,” said Kearns, who has known Edelen since Kearns was a youth pastor in Springfield, Kent. “We’re serious about this. Our goal is to restore him back to health and a part of that is discipline,” Kearns said. He said the church also arranged for Edelen to obtain counseling after the discovery of the files.

Records show Edelen was jailed in lieu of $7,500 bond. News-Sentinel 10/3/2000

HERMISTON — A youth pastor was arraigned Thursday on charges of one count of first-degree sexual abuse and eight counts of using a child in display of explicitly sexual conduct for a person to observe. The suspect is a former Hermiston School Resource Officer. Jay Brian Lynch worked for the Hermiston Police Department from January 1994 through July 1997, when he told Chief Andy Anderson that he wanted to give up his law enforcement career to seek a career in the church. He became youth pastor at Hermiston’s Church of the Nazarene. “I almost fell out of my chair when I heard about it,” Anderson said of Lynch’s arrest. Lynch is 42 years old.

The sexual abuse charge against Lynch involves a girl under the age of 14, said Chris Brauer, Umatilla County district attorney. The charges of using a child in display of explicitly sexual conduct involves two girls under the age of 14. A secret indictment on Sept. 27 led to Lynch’s arrest on Wednesday and his arraignment the following day. At the arraignment, Judge Eric Valentine appointed a public defender to represent Lynch and set bail at $250,000. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 17. (EONI, Oct. 6, 2002) Youth pastor faces charges

Rev. Marchand of New Testament Fellowship Church is convicted of sexual molestation, neglect and physical abuse of his children in 1994 (Worchester Telegram & Gazette, May 28, 2000)
Appointment of guardian may add to cycle of abuse

Los Angeles CA. Faith Healer Molests Children. Carlos Catalan, 49, a faith healer with no known religious affiliation, is being held on 15 counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, three counts of lewd acts with a child and one count of child molestation.Catalan would tell young women that having sex with him would lead to healing for family members. He told one young woman, aged 16, that unless she sacrificed her virginity to a saint channeled through him, that her father would die. (05.18.00, Reuters)

AURORA, IL. – Rev. Paul Goodman, 54, has been indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse with 3 teenage girls. The television minister, who runs weekly church services at Provena Mercy Center, is accused of having sexual contact with the teens, ages 13, 16 and 17, according to the indictment.

His family is calling the allegations a gross misunderstanding. His wife, Arvis, said the situation began last fall when her husband wrote a letter to one of the teens. She called the note a “written lecture” on dating, with references to caressing. The minister’s family contends that the note fell into the hands of one of the girls’ aunts, who went to state authorities worried that the letter might be a sign of an abusive relationship.

Charges were leveled against Goodman after a grand jury gathered testimony from witnesses. Goodman was taken into custody without incident in Chicago. He was being held in Kane County Jail on $100,000 bond awaiting arraignment.

Arvis Goodman said she and her husband have been members of Faith Deliverance Church in Aurora. The couple run the Sinners Repentant Church of Jesus Christ, a group that Goodman said ministers to people with alcohol and drug problems. The Goodmans also are known in Aurora for their cable-access television program, “God’s Information Station.” 3/31/2000

AURORA, IL. – A self-proclaimed minister and schoolbus driver faces multilple charges with soliciting sex from two 18-year-old males assigned to court-ordered community service at the church he ran from his home. Terrance Johnson, 45, was charged also with bribery and record-tampering for allegedly offering to falsely report that the men had finished their work in exchange for sex. He resigned as bus driver when local school officials got wind of the police investigation, and after more than 50 calls from concerned residents to investigators, more charges might follow. Tribune 1/28/00, 12/28/99, 12/3/99

BOSTON – A mother, her son and another man have been charged with trying to bilk the Archdiocese of Boston out of $850,000 by claiming sexual abuse against a priest.

Sean Murphy, 35, his mother, Sylvia, 57, and Byron Worth, 41, have been indicted on conspiracy and attempted larceny charges. The trio claimed that Worth, Sean Murphy and his brother were sexually abused by a priest when they were children, said the State Attorney General. In 1998, Sean Murphy allegedly sought $850,000 from the archdiocese.

Police determined that at the time of the alleged abuse, neither Murphy nor Worth lived in the community where the abuse supposedly occurred. To support the scheme, Sylvia Murphy created phony school records showing that the family had lived in the town more than two decades ago, the DA’s office said.

An archdiocesan spokesman said no payments were made. Murphy’s brother, whose name was not released, was not charged. AP, 2/25/00

DETROIT – Kevin Cain, 37, a Salvation Army choir director, has been charged in 5 separate cases of sexual abuse involving 8 boys, all of whom are expected to testify. One case dates back more than 8 years.

He faces 21 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 3 other sex-related charges. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of just one first-degree criminal sexual conduct charge.

Cain gave the youths money, clothes, alcoholic drinks and marijuana in exchange for sex, according to Detroit police. When police began investigating Cain last Aug., he fled but turned himself in this Jan.

He has pleaded not guilty and is being held in the county jail. The Salvation Army has fired Cain, who was a part-time employee.

SOUTH KITSAP, WA. A youth pastor at a South Kitsap church has been charged with third-degree child molestation, alleging he had sexual relations with a 15-year-old member of his youth group. Cecil Gregory Foust, 40, a youth pastor at South Park Assembly of God, was arrested Feb. 1. He pleaded innocent at his arraignment Friday. The alleged relationship began during a youth group trip in December, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jim Harris said. They allegedly had sexual contact on several occasions. Those contacts occurred in the church van when he drove her home, Harris said. (2/5/2000, The Sun, Bremerton, WA.)
Youth pastor charged with molestationhttp://www.thesunlink.com/news/2000/february/0205a1f.html

NORTHFIELD, MN. – Pastor and youth minister Grant Junior Grayson, 32, was sentenced to 9 months in jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy whom he took to his house and on church trips. He will be on probation for up to 25 years, must pay over $6,000 in fines and restitution, register as a sex offender, refrain from drugs and alcohol and complete treatment. AP, 2/12/00, 12/7/99
Arrest
Guilty Plea

RALIEGH – Non-denominational minister Howard Hunichen, 36, pleaded for nearly an hour in his own defense, imploring a judge not to believe he is a “cruel, evil beast” who beat infants senseless and raped people. But Superior Court Judge Henry Hight Jr. imposed the maximum sentence of 6 years in prison as soon as Hunichen finished speaking and said it was not enough.

Hunichen was found guilty of shaking, stomping and hitting 7-month-old Zachary Fortner to force him to crawl and walk and be quiet. The boy was left with severely limited mental and physical abilities, and is not expected to recover.

His parents, Kevin and Lisa Fortner, face felony child abuse charges and their 2 daughters have also been removed from their custody. During the trial they testified that Hunichen assaulted them and forced Lisa to have sex with him. The district attorney, however, is not considering bringing rape charges against Hunichen. News & Observer, 1/21/00

MARLOW Robert George, 53 Melbourne Pentecostal born again Christian and revival church member. Receives 3 year and 6 month jail sentence in VIC County Court after pleading guilty to 3 child sex offences, including 1 count of committing unlawful sexual intercourse and 2 of performing indecent act, against boy, aged 13, in 1997 during business trip to Nadi, Fiji. Court hears Marlow, of Blackburn, performed “sordid activities” on boy after giving his family gifts of money, food and presents. Judge says Marlow, who was described in court as “deeply religious”, displayed “ultimate act of hypocrisy” by baptising victim in waters of Nadi Bay. (Victoria, Australia, 2000).

SAMPSON Lloyd Luciano, 47 WA Pentecostal born again Christian and New Apostolic Church minister. Receives 10 year jail sentence in WA court after being convicted on 15 child sex charges, including 5 counts of committing unlawful sexual intercourse and 3 of indecent dealing, against 3 sisters, aged under 15, in WA. Offences surface after youngest girl complained minister was hurting her and wanted to commit suicide. Court hears minister married with 2 children. (Western Australia, Australia, 2000).

CLEVELAND – Rev. Charles O. Clarke, 74, pastor of Freedom Chapel, was placed on 5-years probation for molesting 5 boys during the last 18 years. He pleaded guilty in Oct. to 5 counts of gross sexual imposition as part of a plea agreement. Judge Janet Burnside said she gave that sentence because Clarke is not a pedophile and unlikely to repeat the offense. She said and investigation had disclosed his preference was for age-appropriate women. He does, however, have to register with law enforcement authorities every year for the next decade. Plain Dealer, 11/30/99

The Rev. Andras Pandy, a Belgian minister and religion teacher, was charged with murdering five family members and sexually molesting his daughters. (unknown, 7/3/99)
Pastor, 74, faces incest and murder charges

BERGEN, NJ. – A state judge sentenced a New York City man to 180 days in the county jail for lewdness in front of children, saying that the Salvation Army captain brought disrepute to the organization and that he still does not fully appreciate the consequences of his actions. Philip Bentley, 33, was convicted by a jury in March on counts of child endangerment, criminal sexual contact, and lewdness for masturbating in front of 3 boys who were riding their bikes in the woods.

Bentley, who also was a minister for the Salvation Army, will be required to continue counseling and will remain on probation for 5 years. He also will be required to register as a sex offender and must stay away from children.

On June 20, the 3 boys – then aged 13, 14, and 18 – were riding their bikes in the woods in a park when they noticed Bentley watching them. Bentley then removed his clothes and started masturbating, said the county assistant prosecutor. He said Bentley was in the area that day because he had been driving children from the New York Salvation Army group to a nearby camp.

The judge could have given Bentley probation but said he was concerned because Bentley admitted “acting out,” in similar ways twice after he was arrested. Bergen Record, 8/14/99

The Rev. David Kingston, a leader of the Latter-Day Church of God, a polygamous Mormon offshoot in Utah, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for marrying his 16-year-old niece against her will as his 15th wife. (unknown, 7/3/99)

ALBUQUERQUE, NM. – A former Church of Christ minister has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for torching or vandalizing 4 Mormon churches, including one where his ex-lover was the organist.

Prosecutors said Walter Grassie, 50, went on his rampage because he was upset when the organist, Sharlene Jensen, broke off their 8-year affair in 1998, saying her Mormon faith bars her from getting a divorce.

Grassie was also ordered to pay nearly $3 million in restitution to the Mormon Church. Grassie, who spent 25 years as a Church of Christ preacher, was separated from his wife and working on his father’s farm at the time of the vandalism.

He was convicted of burning a church in Roswell and splashing paint, spraying graffiti or destroying furniture at 3 other churches. Grassie also was convicted of burning a car belonging to Jensen’s son.

Prosecutors said Grassie’s actions were part of a campaign of violence against the Jensen family and Mormons in general. Grassie’s lawyers said his brain was “poisoned by love” and asked that he be sent to a prison hospital for treatment. The judge granted the request. AP 7/21/99

AKRON. OH. – The family of 15-year-old murder victim Cassandra Blondheim has filed a wrongful death suit against evangelist Ernest Angley and his various ministries. The suit says that the man accused of the murder, Shane Partin, was retained as a volunteer at the Cathedral Buffet despite repeated warnings about his behavior.

Partin has been charged in the Jan. stabbing death of Cassandra at the Cuyahoga Falls restaurant, which is own be Angley’s ministries. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Cassandra also was a volunteer there, and the suit alleges that she complained repeatedly to Angley and other ministers that she had been harassed and stalked by Partin. Plain Dealer 7/30/99

JOHNSON CITY – A monk was found guilty of indecency with a child for his relationship with a boy at a monastery in east Texas.

Jonathan I. Hitt, 38, known as Fr. Jeremiah, was convicted on 8 counts stemming from incidents at the Christ of the Hills Monastery in the summer of 1997. The monastery is near Blanco. He could face up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000.

The 14-year-old victim, who was a novice monk studying at the monastery, testified during the weeklong trial that he had several sexual encounters with Hitt. Despite feeling awkward about the episodes, the youth testified he didn’t object on the advice of Sam A. Greene Jr., the spiritual leader of the religious enclave. Greene, 54, known as Fr. Benedict, also was charged with indecency with a child. He hasn’t yet gone to trial.

The boy’s 47-year-old mother testified he had struggled in public school and that she had hoped the monks would provide individualized lessons and serve as father figures for him. The attorney for the defendant claimed during the trial that she was a “scorned woman” whose advances Hitt had rebuffed.

The Russian Orthodox Church recently broke ties with the monastery because of its refusal to let church officials inspect records and the premises. Christ of the Hills opened near Blanco in 1980 and is best known for its icon of the Virgin Mary that the monks claim weeps tears of myrrh. AP 10/27/99

WALDORF, VA. – After an emotional 6-hour court hearing, a judge sentenced a former Waldorf minister to 18 months in jail for repeatedly sexually abusing his 12-year-old stepdaughter throughout the spring of 1992.

John Joseph Damba, 42, one of the co-founders of the Gathering Place church here, was sentenced to 10 concurrent years, all but 18 months of which was suspended, for the abuse, which took place over several months in 1992 at the family’s home. The victim, who is now 20, came forward to report Damba to the police this year after the emotional effects of the abuse resurfaced during premarital counseling.

In the lengthy sentencing hearing, Judge Steven G. Chappelle heard testimony from the victim, whom he called “brave,” and from a string of Damba’s supporters and church members who described Damba’s deep anguish over the repeated incidents of sexual fondling.

Indicted in May on 8 counts of child abuse and third-degree sexual offense, Damba pleaded guilty to reduced charges of 2 counts of child abuse in Sept.

Chappelle chastised Damba at the end of the hearing, saying that any man who went into a 12-year-old girl’s bedroom to touch her sexually was committing a “cruel and evil act.” Damba told his stepdaughter that he was ashamed of what he had done.

The young woman read from a prepared text with her head bowed, frequently overcome by emotion. She said that while she had initially forgiven her stepfather for the abuse, years of hurt and confusion had followed. “Nothing healed the pain,” she said. “I still felt alone.” She said that finally confronting the abuse, going through counseling and notifying the police has been a freeing experience. “I feel like I am myself again,” she said.

His wife, Darlene Damba, described a “broken, weeping” Damba who begged for his wife’s and stepdaughter’s forgiveness shortly after the girl told her mother of the abuse in June 1992. The mother said they tried family counseling and used Christian healing books. However, the victim said she had not gone to counseling at the time.

The Gathering Place, a nonaffiliated Christian church established in 1996, has been shaken by the allegations against Damba, who was asked to step down from his position as “worship minister” shortly after the allegations surfaced this spring. The 100-member congregation has been deeply divided – with members supporting either the Dambas or the victim, who no longer attends church there.

“Mr. Damba has manipulated his religious community into shunning her,” Collins said during the hearing.

Church Pastor Paul Goodwin disagreed. “We’re really praying for the families, that there will be healing and restoration,” Goodwin said. “There are no winners in a situation like this. It saddens the whole church community.” Washington Post,11/7/99

LA CROSSE, WI. – The former pastor of a Chicago church was facing charges of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in a La Crosse, Wis., Bible class nearly 20 years ago. Richard D. Ahlberg, 47, who now lives in Minn., served as the youth pastor for the Bethany Evangelical Free Church near La Crosse from 1979 to 1982, when the criminal complaint alleged he committed numerous sex acts with the girls.

The District Atty. said one of the girls made the allegations to church officials in the mid-1980s, but law enforcement authorities weren’t notified until last year. One of the alleged victims finally stepped forward after hearing that Ahlberg wanted to return to the La Crosse church as pastor.

LOS ANGELES – A synagogue official deported from Canada after mailing child pornography to an undercover FBI agent was sentenced here to 15 months in federal prison.

Stuart Friedman, 45, who served as the cantor of a synagogue in Canada, also must undergo three years of supervised release after finishing his prison term. Friedman pleaded guilty in Nov. to one count of distributing child pornography, which carries a maximum 15-year prison term. The judge ordered him to begin serving his sentence April 12.

Friedman, who is originally from Philadelphia, had been a synagogue cantor – the individual who leads a congregation in song – in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In Nov. 1996, he mailed two computer disks containing 13 images of boys having sex to an undercover FBI agent in Long Beach. He was convicted in 1997 at Nova Scotia Provincial Court of possessing child pornography and deported to the United States. Friedman moved to Baltimore, where he was arrested in Aug. on the federal charge of distributing child pornography. LA Times, 3/2/99

TAMPA – A judge has placed a church on 5 years’ probation and fined it $5,000 as part of a plea agreement over allegations of trafficking in food stamps and dealing in stolen property.

As part of the deal with prosecutors, Deeper Life Christian Church was also ordered to pay $21,710 to cover the cost of a sheriff’s office investigation into the allegations of food stamp fraud.

In exchange for the church’s guilty plea, prosecutors dropped all charges against the church bishop, Melvin B. Jefferson Sr., and his second in command, Brenda Houston Lanier. “As far as we know, this is the first time in the state of Florida that a church has been convicted as a felon,” an assistant state attorney said.

Five other Deeper Life ministers, including the sons of Jefferson and Lanier, also entered guilty pleas and were sentenced to probation. Investigators claimed that the church laundered up to $20,000 a month in illegally obtained food stamps through two meat markets it owns.

Deeper Life ministers were accused of buying meat for the meat markets that an informant had told them was stolen and of accepting food stamps as tithes and payment for services from the church. Authorities said the food stamps came from church parishioners and probationers assigned to perform court-ordered community service at the church. AP 6/8/99

LIHUE, HI. – A self-proclaimed Buddhist priest pleaded no contest to 20 counts of sexual assault involving a young girl.

Thich An Thanh, 53, had been charged with 551 counts of sexual assault against the girl. The extra counts were dropped under a plea agreement with prosecutors. An Thanh, a Cambodian national, faces a prison term of up to 400 years and a maximum fine of $1 million.

An indictment returned in March by a Kauai grand jury accused An Thanh of sexually assaulting the girl from 1996, when she was 12, until 1998. She says the attacks occurred after regularly-scheduled religious services An Than held in a Kilauea barn.

The girl was 6 years old when she and her mother met An Thanh when they began attending religious sessions he held in Los Angeles, police said, and they followed him when he moved to Kauai 6 years ago. AP 6/11/99, 5/1299

CHICAGO – A former pastor from Bridgeview has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old church member. Scott A. Shelby, 30, formerly of Calvary Tabernacle Church pleaded guilty to 3 counts of criminal sexual assault against a juvenile. Sun-Times 6/99/99

FORT WAYNE, IN.- The second youth pastor from from Good Shepherd United Brethren Church in Huntington to stand trial for child molesting in just over two years has been convicted in circuit court.

A jury deliberated just under three hours before finding Bobbie Joe Parris, 35, formerly of Huntington, guilty of of child molesting. A teen-age girl testified that she was “uncomfortable” when her church youth pastor pulled up her shirt and kissed her stomach at his apartment last Aug. Journal Gazette 2/19/99

NEW YORK CITY – A prominent Hasidic rabbi has been charged with making death threats against a 22-year-old woman to keep her from testifying that her father raped her as a child.

Rabbi Bernard Freilich, 47, allegedly went to the woman’s home earlier this year and told her he “would teach her a lesson and send her to the cemetery” if she took the stand, court papers said. A grand jury indicted Freilich on felony charges of witness-tampering, witness intimidation, and harassment. If convicted, he would face up to 4 years in prison.

Freilich had pleaded not guilty in May to misdemeanor charges in the same case. His lawyer said he will enter the same plea when he’s arraigned on the more serious charges next month. The attorney described his client as a community leader who prides himself on his connections to law enforcement. Before he was first charged, Freilich had been a special assistant to a superintendent in the New York State Police.

The lawyer said Freilich does not know his accuser, whose name was not released. But prosecutors have said the rabbi and the woman’s father are close friends. The father was charged in Feb. with first-degree rape, incest, sex abuse, and harassment in the pending criminal case. He was arrested again on April 22 after allegedly violating an order of protection by pounding on his daughter’s door and warning her it would be her last day unless she withdrew her accusations.

Prosecutors say that three days later – with the daughter about to testify before a grand jury – Freilich went to her home and threatened her; allegedly repeating the threats the next day. Another Borough Park man also has been charged with trying to get the woman to drop the charges AP 6/24/99

HAMILTON, OH. – A Pentecostal minister convicted of repeatedly raping his daughter has been sentenced to 17-50 years in prison and fined $7,500. Yet the judge declined to classify Rev. Darrell Bell, 50, as a sexual predator, based on court-ordered psychological exams that concluded he has a low probability of repeating the offense. Bell has been ruled a sexually-oriented offender, which means he will have to notify local authorities where he is living and check in with them.

His daughter, Dawn Bell, asked to be publicly identified as she helped prosecute her father, including testifying against him at trail. She said her abuse began at age 10 and continued until she was 18 and moved away. She later confronted her father and went to prosecutors after he refused to get counseling. AP 6/12/99

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, OH. – A former youth pastor who admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old member of his youth group has been sentenced to four years in prison. Matthew Eric Moore, 30, was sentenced after pleading guilty in Feb. to one count of sexual battery. Moore was originally charged with sexual battery and corruption of a minor for encounters with the girl in 1997, when he was 28 and she was a 15-year-old member of the youth group at Heritage Memorial Church.

He was sentenced to one year less than the maximum. Moore will be placed on probation after his release and must register as a sexual offender. AP 4/17/99

MANASSAS, VA. – A former minister was convicted of suggesting to a parishioner that they kill each other’s wives.

James Elrod Ogle, 46, entered Alford pleas to charges of attempted capital murder and solicitation of a felony. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence for a conviction.

Ogle, former pastor of the defunct Bull Run Bible Fellowship in Manassas, will remain jailed without bail until his sentencing. He could get up to life in prison.

Police said that during a Feb. 24 telephone conversation, Ogle suggested to Scott Jinks that they commit murders for each other. Ogle was counseling Jinks and his wife about their marriage at the time. Jinks told police, and testified against Ogle during a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors say Ogle typed instructions on how Jinks should kill Ogle’s wife, suggesting a drive-by shooting at night while Ogle was driving and his wife was in the passenger seat.

The documents also instructed Jinks to wear gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, prosecutors said, and asked how much it would cost to buy a silencer, adding that he would “be glad to pay for it.” AP 6/28/99

TACOMA, WA. – Elders from the Bethel Christian Assembly have defended their handling of a complaint against a youth pastor now charged with eight counts of child molestation and rape, saying the allegations against Herman Glenn Jr., 34, amounted to “hearsay.”

The elders also said in a statement that Glenn was returned to his job only after they were assured he would not be a threat to children.

Prosecutors charged Glenn with 8 counts stemming from alleged assaults on two teen-age boys beginning last year. Possible cases involving as many as 16 other boys remained under investigation.

After his arrest, Glenn told authorities he’d had sexual contact with 3 youths in the Chicago area and 14 others in Tacoma. Another boy came forward recently to say he was sexually molested by the pastor, according to a police spokesman.

Glenn resigned his post at the 2,000-member Bethel Christian Assembly, citing “gross moral failures by engaging in sexual contact with minors.” He was being held on $75,000 bail in the county jail on 6 counts of third-degree rape, one count of second-degree rape and one count of child molestation. He has pleaded innocent.

The boys described a grooming process that involved passwords and progressive levels of contact between them and Glenn, prosecutors said. Glenn told authorities he would pretend to be sleepwalking or talking in his sleep to get the boys to engage in sex acts. “A lot of mind-control was involved in it,” the spokesman said. Detectives say Glenn would approach boys and tell them he needed help curing his alter personality.

None of the sexual contact involving the two boys occurred at the church but at Glenn’s home, charging papers said.

Glenn said church officials had no knowledge of what he’d done prior to his admission. In their statement, the church council of elders said Glenn came to the Tacoma church in 1991 with “glowing recommendations” from Homewood Full Gospel Church in Homewood, Ill., a Chicago suburb.

Rumors reached them that something had happened there. Although the elders did not describe the nature of the information they received, investigators said a pastor at Homewood had contacted Tacoma church officials after two boys in the Chicago area accused Glenn of touching them inappropriately when he was pastor there.

The elders asked a counselor to evaluate Glenn “We were given complete assurance that Herman was within normal sexual limits and posed no threat to children or society,” they said. The counselor told The Seattle Times that he was shocked by Glenn’s arrest. AP 6/5, Chicago Sun-Times, 6/4/99

LOS ANGELES – A priest was arrested on allegations of sodomizing a 21-year-old Colombian man at knife-point, police said. Fr. Juan Correa, 27, of Los Angeles, was being held on $200,000 bail, a LAPD spokesman said.

The man, whose name was not released, had apparently recently arrived in Los Angeles from Colombia and Correa befriended him, offering a place to stay. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said Correa wasn’t affiliated with the church. He is believed to belong to a small sect called the Old Catholic Church, which broke away from the Roman Catholic Church last century when it rejected the doctrine of papal infallibility. AP, 12/16/98

WEST PALM BEACH – A former pastor who claimed he was testing a girl’s virginity was convicted of sexually molesting the teen-ager. Rev. Joseph Millien, 51, was found guilty of felony sexual activity with the 17-year-old member of the Full Gospel Assembly Church, but acquitted of a sexual battery charge. He denied having any other sexual contact with the girl. The judge revoked Millien’s bond and ordered him to jail until sentencing scheduled a few weeks later. Under sentencing guidelines, he could get 6 to 12 years in prison as a first-time offender. AP, 10/28/98

Rev. Thomas W. Nissley on trial for molestation of a teenage girl. The girl, now 17, said in her testimony that Rev. Nissley rubbed her inner thigh just inches from her groin during the entire ride, which lasted about 10 minutes. (Feb. 24, 1999, Eagle Tribune)
Rev. Nissley on Trial for Molestation
Tribune Report

CHICAGO – A former pastor, arrested on charges of sexual assault and abuse of a teenage girl in DuPage County, faces similar charges involving the same 16-year-old in Will County.

Bond was set at $250,000 in Circuit Court for Scott Shelby, 30, of Bridgeview. Shelby was charged with sexually assaulting and abusing a young female parishioner at a motel last winter.

Shelby had been a minister at the Calvary Tabernacle Church. He is charged with one count of criminal sexual assault and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in DuPage County for allegedly taking the teen to motels over a six-month period in 1997 and 1998. Shelby, who left his post when church members and police began investigating his activities, is being held in county jail on $250,000 bond.

A Will County assistant state’s attorney will be assigned to help DuPage prosecutors in their prosecution of the case in DuPage County Circuit Court and vice versa. Tribune, 1/15/99

BOSTON – The state Dept. of Social Services is seeking more than 50 foster children cared for by a Worcester pastor who now stands accused of raping an 11-year-old girl and sexually assaulting two of his foster children. Rev. Jose Castillo, 52, pleaded innocent to charges of rape and abuse of a child, indecent assault and battery of a child and threatening to commit a crime. He was ordered held on $500,000 bail. Police found him hiding in the basement of the Iglesia Abrigo del Altisimo church, where he serves as pastor, when they went to arrest him.

The sexual assault allegations surfaced during the investigation into the disappearance of 5-month-old Marlon Santos, according to the assistant district attorney. The baby still has not been found.

Castillo and his wife Yolanda were the baby’s foster parents. After the baby’s disappearance, the Dept. of Social Services took custody of 2 other foster children staying with the Castillos, a brother and sister ages 23 months and 3 years. The Castillos’ 3 children were also removed in response to an abuse complaint. Two boys, ages 12 and 13, were returned to their parents, but a 17-year-old girl has been placed in a foster home in the area. AP, 12/30/98

VANCOUVER, WA. – A former pastor who pled guilty to having oral sex with one boy and trying to seduce his brother has been sentenced to 6 months in jail followed by therapy. The judge rejected a request by prosecutors thatRobert Dwayne Bennefield, 33, be sentenced to more than 12 years in prison but accepted a defense proposal that he be granted the special sex offender sentencing alternative and ordered him to pay $500 to each victim and a $250 fine, and have no contact with the victims or other youngsters.

Bennefield pled guilty in Aug. to one count of first-degree rape of a child and one count of attempted second-degree assault involving two brothers who attended Lighthouse Christian Center. He later admitted molesting 9 other youngsters. AP, 10/28/98

HAMILTON — A Butler County jury will resume deliberations today, deciding the fate of a Middletown minister accused of sexually molesting his daughter. After Thursday’s final arguments, jurors began deliberations around 11 a.m. They continued their work until 7 p.m. They will decide whether the Rev. Darrell S. Bell, a longtime preacher and steelworker, is guilty of molesting his daughter repeatedly from the time she was 10 until she turned 18 and went away to Bowling Green State University. (Oct. 2, 1998, Cincinnatti Enquirer)
Jury deliberates on charge of molestation by paster
Cincinnatti Enquirer Report

MILWAUKEE, WI. – A self-proclaimed pastor who held church services for children in his home was sentenced to 80 years in prison on charges of sexually molesting 4 girls. Kenneth Spaulding, 47, had been convicted in Dec. of four counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

Authorities said children were molested during services at his home where he sponsored “sleepovers” at night. AP, 2/6/99

MILWAUKEE – A former pastor faces a felony theft charge accusing him of stealing money and equipment worth more than $6,000 from the congregation. Rev. Larry James Taylor Sr., 49, was charged in a criminal complaint that said the cash came from parishioners’ donations to a new building fund and the equipment, including musical instruments, came from general church funds. The complaint said the money and equipment belonged to the Word of Faith Victory Center, a nondenominational Christian church. If convicted, Taylor could be sentenced to a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000. AP, 12/11/98

MILWAUKEE – Rev. Gerald Saffold, 39, a minister accused of having a sexual relationship with a teenage boy waived his right to a preliminary hearing and has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child.

The complaint says the boy reported that he had a sexual relationship with Saffold from Jan. 1996-98, starting when he was 15. Saffold, pastor of the Foundation of Prayer Evangelistic Ministry and founder of a popular youth choir, remained free on $25,000 bond posted by supporters under orders that he remain under house arrest while his case is pending. AP, 10/29/98

MILWAUKEE, WI. – Rev. Gerald Saffold, 39, a minister accused of having a sexual relationship with a teenage boy waived his right to a preliminary hearing and has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of second-degree sexual assault of a child.

The complaint says the boy reported that he had a sexual relationship with Saffold from Jan. 1996-98, starting when he was 15. Saffold, pastor of the Foundation of Prayer Evangelistic Ministry and founder of a popular youth choir, remained free on $25,000 bond posted by supporters under orders that he remain under house arrest while his case is pending. AP, 10/29/98

BURLINGTON, VT. – A Greek Orthodox priest has reported to jail to begin serving a six-month sentence for fondling a 12-year-old girl, but is still claiming he’s innocent. “This is no way to treat a priest,” Fr. Emmanual Koveos, 62, said as he arrived at jail.

In lengthy statements Koveos, his wife, and his son, talked about mistakes and possible improper conduct by the judge, jury, defense attorney, police and the victim and her family. (6/18 Associated Press)

Overlake Christian Church elders moved to debatable theological ground when they used the Bible to justify dismissing sexual-misconduct allegations against their pastor, other church leaders say…Many of the verses cited by the elders referred to needing more than one witness to support accusations of wrongdoing, particularly against church leaders. Others require “greater scrutiny” for allegations against leaders. Another “biblical principle” requires one who is violated to “cry out,” the elders said, though they cited no Bible reference for the principle. (Seattle Times, 5/29/98)

PASADENA – 66-year-old John Gottuso, a Pasadena psychologist who runs a church and Christian school, be sentenced for demonstrating a sex act with a teenage girl. Yet he will still be able to operate a school.

It began nine years ago when Gottuso lost his license to practice because a state agency found that he was having sex with some of his patients. Two years later, another state agency forbade Gottuso from having any involvement with his church’s preschool, partly because agency investigators said he once played “sex tag” under a blanket with two girls. In March, Gottuso settled a sexual- and psychological-abuse lawsuit by 11 plaintiffs.

A Pasadena Municipal Court judge sentenced him to 30 days house arrest and five years probation after he pleaded no contest to demonstrating a sex act with a 15-year-old girl in late 1995 in front of a class at his Christ-Bridge Academy, now based in Altadena. But because of a loophole in a state law, those legal problems have done little to restrict Gottuso’s ability to counsel and teach children. Even after the state Department of Social Services took action against his church’s license to operate a private preschool in 1989, Gottuso continued to operate. (4/28/98)

DENVER – A former minister of The Way International was sentenced to prison for 30 months and ordered to pay restitution of $528,000 to his former followers after he admitted he had bilked them out of their money, in some cases life savings and inheritances.

Richard Panyard, 45, in Jan. pleaded guilty to commit fraud. He and two followers, Jack Northart and Charles Mandrey, founded three companies in the late 1980s using money coerced out of The Way’s members. Around 1989, the struggling companies became a scheme to defraud, characterized by the judge as a classic “Ponzi scheme,” where one person’s investment is used to pay off another’s. Panyard has also been accused of sexual misconduct. One woman, who was married by him, claims she had to fight off his advances less than a year later.

The Way International, often described as a cult, was founded in New Knoxville, OH, in 1961 as a biblical research and teaching ministry. It claims that Christ is not God, there is no Trinity and the Jews are a tribe from Siberia. It has been known to arm its senior members and some wear bulletproof vests to meetings. From its height in 1985 with an estimated 100,000 members, it has dwindled to a current estimate of 20,000. A large number of followers live north of Colorado Springs where the church owns an encampment that has been the target of numerous investigations involving firearms and munitions. (3/18/98)

DENVER – One of the city’s best known ministers has resigned from the church he founded due to financial troubles.Rev. Charles Blair announced his resignation from the pastorship of Calvary Temple, an independent church he founded in 1954. In 1976 Blair was convicted of securities fraud when more than 3,000 investors lost $18 million in one or more of the institutions he controlled. He was placed on 5 years probation and find $12,750 with promises to pay back the lost money. He was taken to court again in the early 1990’s by investors who claimed they had not received any money from a fund-raising campaign to pay them off. He then agreed to pay $700,000 in a settlement, but investors are still complaining that they have received no money and that all the funds raised went to Blair and his friends. (3/7/98)

MIAMI – So sure are parishioners of Camino de Santidad church that their pastor, Rev. Daniel Garnicki, is innocent of charges of having sex with a 15-year-old girl that more than a dozen of them have declared a hunger strike. Camped out on mattresses under a large tent covering the parking lot of their church, 14 people have vowed not to eat until Garnicki is set free. Among the fasters are the minister’s wife, stepson, brother, and the accuser’s ex-boyfriend.

The church crisis stems from the September arrest of Garnicki, an evangelical minister who hosts a four-hour Christian radio program . A teenager who attended services at the church told police that, one night after service last year, Garnicki lured her to a motel in Miami Beach by saying he needed her assistance with a study on how Christian women and worldly women’s interest in pornography differed. Once there, she told police he ordered a pornographic movie and forced her to perform oral sex on him. He allegedly had intercourse with her, and then made her pray for forgiveness for having sinned.

Garnicki was charged with having sex with a minor in his custody. He is under house arrest in his West Dade home but continues to preach each night via satellite. His case is expected to go to trial in May.

Though prosecutors say they have witnesses and evidence that Garnicki signed in at the hotel and rented the movie, members of Garnicki’s church have taken their outrage to the radio waves.T hey claim the accusations are creations of a troubled and promiscuous girl who is only out for money. Parishioners believe the accusations are a conspiracy by homosexuals who resent Garnicki’s fight against gay-rights laws. (4/6/98)

CASSOPOLIS, MI. – A United Church of Christ minister convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl was to remain free on bond pending sentencing scheduled for March 27.

John Charles Yeager, 52, who was also an administrator at an Indiana center for abused children, was convicted by jury of first- and second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was found guilty of molesting the girl while he, the girl, and his own daughter of the same age, were under a blanket on a couch in his basement in August 1996. That daughter and at least two of his other 3 daughters, which he has been raising alone since his wife died in 1987, have publicly supported him.

As of publication time, it is not known what sentence was handed him. (3/4/98)

DALLAS – An 18-year-old man and his parents sued the Assemblies of God and the church’s ranch for troubled youths, claiming the youth was molested by a counselor at the center two years ago. The alleged victim was 16 when he went to Dallas Teen Challenge Boys Ranch in January 1996. According to his lawsuit, a counselor and convicted drug trafficker sexually molested him on at least six different occasions. The lawsuit further alleges that the church ranch Executive Director Paul Ecker and the ranch’s board knowingly employed men with criminal histories as counselors despite being informed by state regulators that the practice was illegal.

According to the lawsuit, most of the residents were there as a condition of probation, and had psychological or substance abuse problems. During the day, they performed chores, including caring for livestock, and took part in religious education. At night, they were “locked down” and monitored by alarm systems to prevent unauthorized departures. Among the employees and volunteers working at the ranch were men in a program called “Life Challenge,” designed for adults. Many of them had substance abuse problems and were improperly admitted to the program as part of their probation, the lawsuit states. (5/13/98, AP)
Lawsuit claims church camp hired convict who molested boy

DALLAS – A former rabbi accused by three women of improperly touching them decades ago apologized for “a very dark chapter in my life”.

Rabbi Max Zucker, the longtime head of a synagogue begged for forgiveness when confronted recently by one of the women he is accused of touching. The woman, her husband and parents said Zucker, 73, did not dispute her account that he touched her genitals.

In an interview, Zucker sometimes denied improper touching and sometimes said he couldn’t recall any. The three accusers – all middle-aged women – told the newspaper Zucker repeatedly molested them when they were between 11 and 13 years old. “I beg their forgiveness,” Zucker said. “I don’t recall any such thing ever happening. If they imagined it or if it was fact, I’m certainly sorry.”

Meanwhile the synagogue’s board has hired a lawyer to examine how its current rabbi responded to the allegations against his predecessor and longtime associate, officials said.

When the women went public they said that Rabbi Cohen seemed unwilling to investigate and offered them little help. He disputed that assertion but acknowledged that he never confronted Zucker and recently allowed him to perform a wedding at the synagogue. 5/20/98

DALLAS – A pastor convicted of assaulting two teenaged girls in his congregation has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Wendell Jones, 44, who had been on probation as a convicted sex offender since 1992 in a similar case, will be eligible for parole in 30 years. (3/24/98)

HOUSTON – A lawsuit has been filed accusing the national Jehovah’s Witnesses organization of refusing to alert authorities to the extended sexual abuse of a minor by her brother while they were both members of the church.

The plaintiff, a 19-year-old woman, said that she had been sexually abused by her brother, now 22, since the mid-1980s. In 1988, the family sought counseling by church elder Kerry “John” Landers. The suit claims that Landers was instructed by the national office to handle the matter in-house rather than to report the abuse to the authorities as required by Texas law.

Despite counseling, the brother continued to molest his sister. In 1992 the local church leadership appointed Landers and two other elders to investigate. The brother confessed to them and apologized and the elders put the matter to rest. He was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to prison. In that trial, Landers testified under a grant of immunity about his instructions to keep it quiet.

The attorney representing the church said it strongly believes it committed no wrongdoing and said they vowed to defend themselves vigorously. (3/24/98)

BURLINGTON – A former priest of the Greek Orthodox Church will serve six months in jail for molesting a 12-year-old girl. Despite being convicted by a jury, Fr. Emmanuel Koveos, 62, continues to proclaim his innocence. He has been ordered to begin serving his sentence June eighth.

The church has gone to court trying to evict him from a parish rectory. Koveos has ignored repeated orders from his bishop to move out of the rectory, according to letters filed with court eviction papers. Koveos was asked to leave last spring, a few months after he was accused of fondling the girl he was tutoring at the church, said the lawyer for the church. Koveos was convicted of those charges earlier this year.

The parish and the Greek Orthodox Diocese of Boston are upset at Koveos’ refusal to follow the bishop’s instructions. They worry it might financially ruin the church, which is renting a home for the priest who has replaced Koveos.

An eviction hearing in Superior Court was set for late May. A tribunal of the Greek Orthodox Church will consider Koveos’ future as a priest after the sentencing. The Spiritual Court for the diocese, consisting of three to five religious members, could take a range of actions, including stripping Koveos of his priestly duties. The court also can consider other allegations that surfaced since his arrest. A New Hampshire woman has given a sworn statement about sexual misconduct, according to records. (5/22/98)

WENATCHEE – It has been more than two years since pastor Roby Roberson promised to get even. In December 1995, a jury cleared Roberson and his wife, Connie, of charges they’d raped five children in their home and small, run-down Pentecostal church. Since then, Roberson has turned his church’s food bank into a legal war room, becoming the most tenacious critic of the now infamous Wenatchee child-sex-abuse investigations. His weapons are copiers and fax machines, court hearings and media interviews. Roberson, 53, claims he is seeking justice for himself and advocating the liberty of more than a dozen people he says were targeted by a vindictive, manipulative police detective and a group of accomplices in the state’s child-welfare department.

He, his wife and six others are suing Wenatchee Police Detective Bob Perez, child caseworkers, and the city, county and state agencies where they work for allegedly violating their civil rights. The complicated case includes overlapping charges against 11 individuals. Together, the plaintiffs are asking for $70 million in damages.

The trial, after three years of media attention on Wenatchee, will take place in Seattle. The civil suit directly involves only a handful of those caught up in the investigations. But it promises answers to the lingering question: Did a routine sex investigation turn into a witch hunt against innocent adults?

It all began in 1995. The allegations of unthinkable child sex abuse, including sex parties in homes and at the Pentecostal church, first sprung up in 1995, while Perez was serving a two-year stint as Wenatchee’s only sex-crime investigator. It has since become all but impossible to tally the victims and the guilty.

The cases have touched 17 families, with nearly 40 children still separated from their biological parents, either placed in foster care, therapeutic care, adopted into new homes or living on their own.

All told, 29 adults were charged with child sex abuse in cases commonly linked by the children making the allegations. Some were accused of incest against their own children.

Others were linked to broader secrets – now widely discounted – in which adults were said to swap children in loosely organized sex rings, described by some as “The Circle.” Of those charged with various types of sex crimes, 15 pleaded guilty, five were convicted by juries and three, including the Robersons, were acquitted. Charges against six others, including Rodriguez, were dropped.

Police, caseworkers for the state’s Child Protective Services office and prosecutors say their investigations were solid. They argue that some children show medical signs of abuse, that some suspects have never recanted their confessions. Prosecutors contend that, despite wider sex-ring allegations, they limited the scope of criminal charges to gain case-by-case convictions. They argue, in other words, that something bad happened to children in Wenatchee. But the outraged protests that accompanied the arrests have only grown louder. Led by a rogue cop, critics say, authorities ran roughshod over people’s rights, then closed ranks to cover themselves. Now momentum is shifting.

There are increasing criticism that at least some of the accused, including many vulnerable by virtue of poverty and low intelligence, were victimized by an overzealous prosecutorial system. In February, an appeals court overturned the conviction of the only woman found guilty of charges that actually included allegations of the broader sex ring. A March investigative report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer maintains that, at most, six or seven children likely were abused by parents, neighbors or school acquaintances. Otherwise, the newspaper maintains, adults were unfairly prosecuted. A judge specially appointed by the state appeals court sharply criticized techniques used by Perez and other investigators, recommending two convicted adults be retried. Perez led investigation.

Attorney General Janet Reno, whose office conducted a cursory review of the cases in 1996, has said the Justice Department will take a closer look. But critics of the investigation look to the Robersons’ upcoming civil trial as their best chance for rehabilitation. (4/6/98)

LEADVILLE, CO. – A Las Vegas, New Mexico couple has sued the Community Evangelical Free Church of Leadville alleging that a church volunteer molested their three children. The claim Brian Manuel, recommended by Rev. Geoffrey Nelson, who is accused of negligence, molested the children, who were 3, 4 and 6 years old at the time, while babysitting on New Year’s Eve in 1995. (1/4/98)

HARTFORD – A pastor who regularly sexually assaulted two teenage sisters, threatening them and their mother with deportation if they complained, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and 20 years probation. Rev. Carlos Sunun, 41, entered an Alford plea which permitted him to deny the facts of the crimes but agree he would likely be convicted at a trial.

Yet he fathered a daughter on the younger sister, a 15-year-old. His abuse of his parishioners took place regularly during 1995-6. He first started molesting the older sister, a 16-year-old, and then the younger. The attacks occurred on numerous occasions at his home and in his vehicle. The police were tipped off a year before Sunun’s arrest, but the older girl denied the allegations and did not cooperate with the investigation. It was dropped until both sisters approached the police in Nov. 1996.

Both girls said he deserved a harsher penalty, and even his lown awyer characterized him as “a horrible person.”(11/21/98)

TALLAHASSEE – Three sisters have accused their former pastor of seducing them when they were girls, including one who said she she went to him for counseling after losing their virginity. Fr. Donald McCreanor, 49 and a licensed therapist, resigned his post, was suspended, and entered a church-run treatment center after the women went public with their story. They claim they did so because they had informed the diocese of their charges 14 months previously and nothing had been done.

After the story was published, two other women told the local paper that McCreanor had made sexual overtures to them as well. One had a troubled marriage and claims he propositioned her during confession. She said he suggested that she have an affair “with someone safe, like me.”

She eventually did have a tumultuous affair with him that lasted about a year. After working out her marital problems, she complained to the state Dept. of Professional Regulation but her charges were dismissed because the affair happened before he was licensed as a therapist.

McCreanor allegedly bought the other woman, his housecleaner, risque lingerie and suggested that she wear it at his house.

The vice chancellor of the diocese said later that five women had called to accuse McCreanor since the articles ran. He would not confirm if the callers included the women who had contacted the newspapers.

The accusations were made public the same week that Fr. Rick Castillo, 43, who had enrolled himself in the same treatment center last spring, admitted sexually abusing four teenage boys several years ago. (11/21)

TALLAHASSEE – Three sisters have accused their former pastor of seducing them when they were girls, including one who said she she went to him for counseling after losing their virginity. Fr. Donald McCreanor, 49 and a licensed therapist, resigned his post, was suspended, and entered a church-run treatment center after the women went public with their story. They claim they did so because they had informed the diocese of their charges 14 months previously and nothing had been done.

After the story was published, two other women told the local paper that McCreanor had made sexual overtures to them as well. One had a troubled marriage and claims he propositioned her during confession. She said he suggested that she have an affair “with someone safe, like me.”

She eventually did have a tumultuous affair with him that lasted about a year. After working out her marital problems, she complained to the state Dept. of Professional Regulation but her charges were dismissed because the affair happened before he was licensed as a therapist.

McCreanor allegedly bought the other woman, his housecleaner, risque lingerie and suggested that she wear it at his house.

The vice chancellor of the diocese said later that five women had called to accuse McCreanor since the articles ran. He would not confirm if the callers included the women who had contacted the newspapers.

The accusations were made public the same week that Fr. Rick Castillo, 43, who had enrolled himself in the same treatment center last spring, admitted sexually abusing four teenage boys several years ago. (11/21/98)

ELGIN, IL. – A convicted child molester who became a self-styled psychic and spiritual healer has been convicted again of sexual abuse.

Jeffrey Knapp, 47, founder of the Inner Journey Institute for the Healing Arts in Elgin and a former schoolteacher appeared stunned when the judge read the verdict. He was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for making a 14-year-old boy touch him under the guise of an Oriental healing technique called reiki.

Knapp’s wife, three of their children, as well as the female state trooper who investigated the case all wept after the verdict was read, though for different reasons.

The key testimony was from the victim himself, who sobbed most of the way through his time on the witness stand. Later the boy said, “I don’t hate him. I just think he is really sick.” (1/17/98)

TACOMA, WA. Another teen came forward yesterday to allege he was sexually molested by a Bethel Christian Assembly youth pastor, according to Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer. Meanwhile, elders from the church defended their handling of a 1995 complaint against the youth pastor now charged with eight counts of child molestation and rape, saying the 4-year-old allegations against Herman Glenn Jr. amounted to “hearsay.” The elders also said in a statement that Glenn was returned to his job only after they were assured he would not be a threat to children. (Seattle Times, 1998)
Another teen says pastor molested him

LIVERPOOL, England – A vicar who sexually assaulted boys during holidays with a church youth group has been convicted to three years in jail. Fr. David McIntosh, 52, pleaded guilty to seven indecent assault charges. (12/13/97)style=’font-style: normal’>http://www.objectivists.org.au/May09-1999/BM.htm

A youth minister of the Church of Christ has been arrested after allegedly sending nude pictures of himself to a 14-year-old girl over the Internet. Matthew Washington, 23, was charged with distribution of harmful material to a minor. Police said Washington sent her four photos of him seated nude on an exercise bike at the church after talking to her in an Internet chat room. The girl showed them to her mother who alerted the police. Washington was released on bail but faces up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. (Dallas, 12/22/97)

Cobb County , GA. A former Gwinnett church youth group worker accused of child molestation was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to Cobb County charges that he molested two young boys there between 1991 and 1993. Adam Lee Gilliam, who still faces charges in Gwinnett, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and 15 years’ probation and ordered to pay more than $4,000 in restitution to the boys’ families. Gilliam, 28, was out on bond awaiting trial in Cobb when Gwinnett police arrested him Dec. 8. Cobb Magistrate Judge Vic Reynolds also ordered Gilliam to undergo treatment for sexual deviancy and to avoid any contact with his victims or their families. Before he would accept Gilliam’s guilty plea, Reynolds required Gilliam to admit to prosecutors’ charges that while he was a youth minister at a Cobb church, he fondled the buttocks of one boy and the penis of the other. Gwinnett police say Gilliam, of Sugar Hill, persuaded a 12-year-old boy he met through a Cumming church to have oral sex by showing him pornographic pictures and citing biblical passages that supposedly proved “it was all right for them to be doing these acts.” Between September and December, Gilliam often took the boy to softball games with his parents’ permission, police say. He is charged with 16 counts of child molestation and aggravated child molestation and is being held without bond in the Gwinnett Detention Center. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 12-19-1997)
Man gets 5 years in abuse case: Youth worker also to pay restitution

SEX ABUSE CASE SPURS CHURCH INTO ACTION. Less than a week after one of its former youth group workers was charged with child molestation, a Cumming church held a closed meeting Sunday to reassure members. “We plan on addressing this head-on,” Drew Grubbs, the executive pastor of Calvary Chapel North, said in an interview. Grubbs said that when the church hired Adam Lee Gilliam, 28, of Sugar Hill, as a part-time administrative assistant, it did not know a Cobb County grand jury had indicted him on two counts of child molestation. “This guy had glowing references from church leaders in Atlanta,” Grubbs said. “We didn’t know what everybody knows now.” Gwinnett police say Gilliam, who also worked with youth groups, persuaded a 12-year-old boy he met at the church to have oral sex by showing him pornographic pictures and reading what he said was Biblical Scripture from his computer. The boy got permission from his parents to accompany Gilliam to softball games, police said, and Gilliam took the boy home with him afterward. The child told police that during the sleep-overs Gilliam crawled into bed with him and molested him, police said. the boy also told police that Gilliam “read Scripture off of the computer that said it was all right for them to be doing these acts,” according to a search warrant affidavit. Police said they did not know what passages Gilliam could have been citing. Gilliam was charged with 16 felony counts of child molestation and aggravated child molestation. He is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing Tuesday in the Gwinnett County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond. By Larry Hartstein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – 12/15/97

A couple who coordinated youth activities at Mount Hermas Church of God in Sugar Hill, Marcus and Janice Bellew, allegedly seduced a 14-year-old girl from the church and had group sex with her, police said. Church officials did not return repeated phone messages. By Larry Hartstein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – 12/15/97

Cumming, GA. A 28-year-old church youth group worker who spent nights alone with a 12-year-old boy persuaded the youngster to have oral sex by showing him pornographic pictures and reading what he said was Scripture stored in his computer, police said Tuesday. Adam Lee Gilliam of Sugar Hill was arrested Monday night and charged with 16 felony counts of child molestation and aggravated child molestation, police said. The arrest is the second Gwinnett case in two weeks where police claim a church youth group leader molested a child. Gilliam met the boy at Calvary Chapel North in Cumming, said Gwinnett police Sgt. Jeff Sligar. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 12-10-1997)
Youth worker accused of molestation: 16 felony counts: Police say church’s ex-staffer spent numerous nights: alone with 12-year-old boy

SWANSEA, England – An Anglican vicar who jumped bail and fled to the Czech Republic while awaiting sentencing after admitting taking indecent photographs of young girls in his Welsh vicarage has begun a 15-month prison term – a year for the seven counts of sexually explicit photos and another three months for fleeing. First arrested after taking film to a local photo shop to be developed, a search of the vicarage revealed thousands of photos and slides depicting nude girls and women.

Fr. Merlyn Roberts, a 62-year-old grandfather and former chaplain at two English top-security prisons, spent more than a year on the run. He was finally spotted by a Welshman working in Prague who recognized his picture in a newspaper. Roberts was arrested at an boys’ school where he worked and was extradited to Britain after being held for 18 weeks.

The sentencing judge also ordered the confiscation of Roberts’ photos and ordered him to register with the police as a sex offender upon his release.

Another Anglican priest was arrested in Romania on suspicion of having had sex with a local boy. Fr. Michael Taylor, 34, was found with a 14-year-old boy in an apartment near the Bucharest train station. Romania is said to have become a magnet for pedophiles because of the widespread poverty and the large number of runaway children who frequent the rail stations. (11/25/97)

LONDON – The Church of England is facing a series of allegations by the wives of clergy who claim their husbands violently and sexually abused them. One spoke of violence when her husband’s parochial church council meetings had not gone well, involving “smashing everything in sight,” being dragged by her hair and kicked. Another spoke of being strangled during love-making, raped, and having her body marked “in a foul way.” They claimed that their appeals for help from the church were initially ignored.

The women decided to speak out after a decision by the Church of Scotland to open a care line for the battered wives of clergy, which followed a study by Edinburgh University which suggested that clerical wives are as likely to suffer assault as those in the general population, where it is thought 1 in 10 may be abused. The report cataloged abuse by ministers and included instances of wife beatings, damage to internal organs, kickings, and sexual advances made by clergy towards other women who sought counseling.

Lesley Macdonald, author of the study, said some of the women accused the church of “closing ranks” when faced with their complaints. “The status of clergy has dropped,” she said. “Often wives take the flak for the minister’s economic inadequacy and irresponsibility. The violence has been caused in some cases by the minister’s lack of self-esteem.”

Since the study of 25 women, she has been contacted by more than 40 abused wives of clergy from other parts of Britain. (10/5/97)

Christian School Officials Face Hearing on Failing to Report Suspicions.The pair face charges in a case involving sex abuse of male students by a teacher. Prineville, Oregon — A pretrial bearing will be October 20 for two Christian school officials cited for failing to report their suspicions that a teacher was molesting male students. Sue Uptain, principal of the 180-student Crook County Christian School, and James Donohue, the school’s superintendent, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry maximum $1,000 fines. Donohue is also pastor of the First Assembly of God Church in Prineville, which opened the preschool through 12th grade school three years ago. Both claimed they didn’t know state law requires school employees to immediately report suspected sex abuse cases. School officials learned May 9 that Phillip Marland, French and physical education teacher, might have molested a boy. But it wasn’t reported to law enforcement officials until May 27, and that report was from the pastor of another church. One of Marland’s victims was reportedly molested after Crook County Christian School officials learned of the abuse but before it was reported to authorities.

Feared Attendance Would Drop: Marland had been indicted on 54 counts of sex abuse involving four boys. Last month, Marland, 42, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual abuse and was sentenced to 7½ years in prison. As a French citizen, he likely will be deported when released from prison. Crook County undersheriff Clyde McLain said there is evidence Donohue and Uptain knew they were legally required to immediately report suspected cases of sex abuse. He said Donahue was informed about the reporting requirements at a meeting last February. The meeting with area clergy was arranged by the district attorney’s office to discuss the sex abuse reporting law. McLain said one pastor reported that Uptain admitted she understood the law but delayed action out of fear attendance at the school would drop. (The Oregonian, October 2, 1997)

BAKERSFIELD, CA – A church school youth pastor will go to jail for two years for sexually molesting a 16-year-old girl. Jon Jon Jessee, 28, allegedly had sex with the girl while she was staying at the home he shared with his wife and young daughter.

The girl told police she was living with the Jessees because of family problems she was having. She said Jessee would touch her inappropriately and then pray and ask forgiveness, and that they had sex in March after he came into the bathroom while she was taking a shower. After the incident he packed her bags and asked her to move out. Jessee pled no contest to the charges. (8/8/97)

PETALUMA – A former rabbi faces up to 8 years in prison after pleading no contest to a felony molestation charge involving a 12-year-old girl.

Two misdemeanor molestation charges were dropped against Rabbi Sidney Goldenberg, 58, after the he entered the plea.

The assistant District Attorney said no deals were made on Goldenberg’s sentencing, who said he would solicit statements from several adults in New York who say they were molested by Goldenberg as children. They would be considered during sentencing. (6/19/97

Nunavik pastor charged with sex crimes against a minor The leader of Ivujivik’s evangelical congregation, the Full Gospel Church, faces trial next January in connection with incidents dating back ten years . (11/28/97, Nunatsiaq News, Iqaluit, NU, Greenland.) http://www.nunanet.com/~nunat/week/71128.html#1

BAKERSFIELD – A Mormon missionary working as a reading volunteer at an elementary school was arrested on suspicion of molesting an 8-year-old girl at the school. Jason Chad Larsen, 20, is alleged to have fondled the child in the school cafeteria which was filled with other children and reading volunteers. The girl reported the incident to a teacher’s aide. The principal called the girl’s parents and then the police.

CHICAGO – Rev. Casey January, 30, a pastor at God’s Tabernacle of Praise was charged with two counts of criminal sexual assault and one count of criminal sexual abuse. He allegedly assaulted a teenage girl after counseling her about a year ago in the church and her home. The alleged victim tried to commit suicide after the incidents. (8/7/97)

KOKOMO, IN. – Former televangelist William E. Tully, Sr., 51 and 5 others are awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and securities fraud and money laundering. Tully and his Charter Financial Group, Inc., lost nearly $7 million, said by authorities to have floated a lavish lifestyle, including a 57-foot yatch, rather that the mortgages to build churches for poor congregations as claimed. His TV ministry collapsed in 1995 under the weight of a 61-count indictment. The trial, which is expected to start in Nov. and take several months, has already drawn battle lines over the use of videotaped statements from aged, frail investors and a defense fund in support of Tully. (8/22/97)

JACKSON COUNTY, MI. – Jeffrey Knapp, 47, a registered nurse who presented himself as a master spiritual healer, has been charged with molesting an 11-year-old boy under the guise of spiritual healing. He allegedly coerced the boy into fondling him during a class in “reiki,” an Asian healing technique, at his home. It was revealed that in 1977 he was convicted of molesting an 11-year-old and sentenced to 5 years probation and in 1986 had lost a job as a principal after parents complained about sexual conversations he was having with students. (8/8/97)

DECATUR, AL. – A minister on his way to County Jail proclaimed his innocence and said he was “set up” on sexual abuse charges.

Victor Young Pickett, 25, was charged after an indictment by a grand jury with first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree sexual abuse, records showed. The charges stem from a June 19, 1999, offense involving two males, ages 10 and 14, police said.

According to police, the investigation of Pickett spanned six months and revealed that he allegedly had sexually molested other young males also but it is unknown if other charges will be filed.

A police investigator said Pickett ran a church out of his apartment. “He’d go around and pick them up and take them to his church. He’d take them to movies or out to eat and that’s when he would molest them.”

As he was being led to jail, where he was to be held in lieu of bonds totaling $150,000, Pickett said he was an ordained minister and ran the Pentecostal Church of Truth, an outreach ministry, which has about 15 members. He said he had been in the ministry since he was 12 and that he worked with adults and young adults.

Pickett said he thinks one of the families he’s been helping set him up. He alluded to discovering that some of the people he was helping were “drug users and criminals.” He said, “When you help people and you stop, this is what happens.”Daily 5/9/2000

PRINCE GEORGE, British Columbia – A 5,000-member Anglican diocese may face bankruptcy if it is forced to pay major damages as a result of a series of court cases on sexual abuse.

The Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled that the Diocese of Cariboo, the Anglican Church of Canada and thefederal government were jointly liable for compensation in the case of Floyd Mowatt, who was sexually abused 30 years ago at a church residential school in British Columbia.

The amount of damages has not yet been made public, but the Anglican Journal, the church’s national publication, estimated the church’s portion of the award at about C$200,000 (US$135,000). Although the Diocese of Cariboo has sufficient resources to pay its share of damages, there are 4 more actions pending related to the same offender. It is expected that the award will be the same in each of the cases, which are likely to be dealt with quickly in the courts because they are based on the evidence already presented in the Mowatt case.

Derek Clarke, a residence supervisor at St George’s residential school in Lytton, was convicted in 1993 and jailed for sexually abusing the plaintiff and several other boys. The issue before Justice Dillon was to determine who the employer was and who should pay the damages. She found the church, which ran the institution and had hired Clarke, 60% responsible and the government, under whose mandate the school operated, 40% responsible. She found they both breached their duty, but that the church, in a position of trust, had greater liability for failing to protect the children in their charge.

The diocese might be faced with bankruptcy, Abp. David Crawley said. He said: “The Primate [Archbishop Michael Peers, head of the Canadian church] has publicly apologized for our involvement in the residential school business and what happened at them. The church will pay its obligations.”

This is the first decision involving residential schools and the Anglican Church. The church still faces more than 200 similar lawsuits involving hundreds of plaintiffs. ENI, 10/5/99

OTTAWA. Ontario — A landmark court ruling that ordered the federal government and the United Church of Canadato compensate victims of sexual abuse at a church-run native school could be a devastating blow to Canadian churches and social agencies, observers said.

“This is a major threat to every church in the country,” said Gerry Kelly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The potential costs are exceedingly high. I don’t really know what’s going to happen. The number of cases has just grown and grown.”

In Ottawa, federal bureaucrats met with officials from several churches, trying to determine what should be done in the face of what appears to be a staggering number of claims. At the moment, churches and the federal government face at least 1,000 abuse cases from native Canadians who attended the schools, and lawyers connected with the issue say the number may escalate.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien said that Canada, which has been asked to defend its treatment of native children at the schools before a United Nations tribunal, is ready to accept its responsibility, although it will review each case separately.

“It looks like the court has attributed to the federal government some responsibility,” he said. “If we have responsibility, we have to meet our responsibilities.”

In a court ruling dealing with a residential school in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, the B.C. Supreme Court found that both the federal government, which financed the school, and the United Church, which ran it, were jointly liable and must compensate those who were sexually assaulted at the school by Arthur Plint decades ago. The ruling is considered a landmark because it transfers accountability from Mr. Plint to his employers. Although it has been cheered by victims, others warn that the ruling could have far-reaching effects.

Observers say the crucial aspect of the decision is the way it extends the concept of vicarious liability, which determines where an employer’s accountability ends and an individual’s begins. Until now, the courts have generally ruled that an employer can’t be held liable for their employees’ actions if there was no way to anticipate them. One expert warned it could mean the end of girl’s soccer and the Boy Scouts.

More than 80 residential schools for native children were set up in the past century in almost every province. Officials estimate that up to 125,000 native children passed through the system before it was closed in the mid-1980s.

In June, the Prime Minister or a senior government representative has been asked to appear before an international human-rights tribunal to defend Ottawa’s record on caring for the children at the schools. An international court, convened by tribal leaders from across North America, was to hold three days of public hearings in Vancouver as a response to complaints of sexual abuse, assault and cultural genocide at the schools and pleas for justice.

The testimony is mainly for the benefit of the International Human Rights Association of American Minorities, which is formally affiliated with the UN. The association is expected to report to the UN Secretary-General. It is believed to be the first time that the non-governmental organization has investigated a situation in Canada. Although the tribunal does not have the force of law behind it, the association’s findings could embarrass Canada at the UN, where Canada often criticizes other countries over human rights. (6/9/98 Canadian Press)

A teen-age girl testified in Provo, Utah, that her father, John Chaney, leader of a Mormon polygamy sect, repeatedly had sex with her and forced her to marry a middle-aged man when she was 13. (unknown, 6/27/97)

Tulsa, OK. A Tulsa jury on Wednesday handed a 79-year-old Oakhurst preacher prison terms totaling 30 years upon convicting him of molesting and sodomizing a 5-year-old girl. William Euel Riley received 10 years on each of two counts of lewd molestation, and one count of forcible sodomy. Jurors acquitted him of another sodomy count. Riley, pastor of Mission of Love Pentecostal Church in Oakhurst, denied the allegations. Formal sentencing is set for Feb. 15, one day before his 80th birthday. (Tulsa World, 01/11/1996)
Preacher Sentenced in Molestation

Lancaster. PA. A Lancaster man who helped teach Bible study for teenagers planning to join a church was arrested and charged with 2 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. The victim, 15, was in the process of becoming a member of the Conestoga Valley Church of Christ. John Mark Nadeau, 44, allegedly assaulted the boy during “one-on-one” study sessions. Nadeau turned himself in after a child abuse prosecution unit began investigating the alleged assaults. He waived a preliminary hearing and was freed on $10,000 cash bail. Nadeau faces a maximum penalty of 20-40 years in prison if convicted. Each charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse carries a maximum penalty of 10-20 years, said a detective from East Lampeter. (New Era, 8/9/95)

Round Lake, MI. Bible Teacher Had Prior Sex Offenses Round Lake Community Church Sunday and vacation bible school teacher Joseph Escalera, 51, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for sexually molesting a boy, 10. In return for a guilty plea to aggravated criminal sexual abuse, other charges against Escalera were dismissed. The boy and Escalera’s mentally disabled roommate participated in the church’s youth group. In June and July of ’94 the boy befriended the roommate and slept over about once a week. Police say Escalera admitted he fondled the boy and masturbated while the boy undressed. At the time of his arrest, Escalera was on 4 years probation for a 1988 conviction of 3 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault for incidents in Mount Prospect. (Waukegan News Sun 12/22/95)

MINISTER PLAYING DOCTOR An assistant minister and youth choir director at First Church of God has been charged with practicing medicine without a license and criminal sexual conduct for the rectal exam of a male and pelvic exams on women involving penile catheters. Dean Willoughby, 29, was apparently practicing medicine from his apartment on homeless people, including children. HIV+ blood samples were found there, also apparently drawn from “patients”. Willoughby’s attorney says, “All he’s ever done is do community work … with street people, with the homeless, with AIDS patients. He has not a blemish in his background. He’s very highly respected in his church.” (Lexington Herald-Leader 4/8/94)

DAVIS FACES MORE CHARGES. Rev. L.R. Davis, charged in Illinois with criminal sexual misconduct, child pornography, and perjury, was also charged with assaulting a teenage boy in San Diego. Davis, 57, is a prominent Waukegan minister with Christian Fellowship, Inc. Two fellow ministers, Michael Camer, 30, and David Annstrong, 33, are indicted on lesser charges. Young boys may have been brought from Tijuana, Mexico to Davis’ San Diego church for molestation.

L.R. DAVIS LOSES APPEAL. The Illinois Appellate Court upheld the conviction and 31-year prison term of Rev. L.R. Davis. His conviction for child pornography was reversed, but his 15-count conviction for child sexual abuse of 2 boys was upheld. The Illinois Supreme Court will review the dismissal of Davis’ perjury charges in a related civil suit. Source: _News-Sun_ 3/29/94, 4/9/94.

RELIGIONIST MOLESTS GIRL, 6, IN CHURCH NURSERY. A church member of the Christian Fellowship Church, founded by L.R. Davis (see above) has pleaded a stipulated guilty plea to the charges of sexually molesting a girl, 6, in the church nursery. Michael Larson, 27, awaits sentencing. Source: _News-Sun_ (no date).

DAVIS GETS 31 YEARS, CLEMENCY ASKED. The founder of the notorious First Christian Fellowship Church of Waukegan, Rev. Lloyd Davis, 57, flanked by many supporters, was sentenced to 31 years in prison for criminal sexual assault, child pornography & sexual abuse. He imported teenaged boys from Mexico for sex. Lake Co. Judge Christopher C. Starck said: “The burning question in this case is whether this man is a minister or a monster, a pastor or a pedophile.” Starck said he is all of those things. Davis is believed to have molested children since the 1960s. Former church members accuse him of running a cult, making sexual demands on supporters & locating all churches near Naval bases, where he is known for trying to lure young sailors into his churches for sexual purposes. About 374 persons wrote letters to the judge asking for mercy. “He is the greatest person there is,” insisted Martha Allsopp, a Kenosha church member. He faces more charges in California. Two other ministers from his Waukegan church, David Lee Armstrong & Michael Carner, go on trial in March. In January, 200 supporters led by Rev. Peter Paine of the Christian Fellowship Church presented a request for clemency for Davis to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. “I believe L.R. Davis may be the most sexually dangerous man to have ever walked the streets of Lake Co.,” maintains Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Pavletic. Sources: _Chicago Tribune_ 8/15/92, AP/ _Quad-City Times_ 8/15/92, _News-Sun_ (Lake Co.) 1/15/93.

Militant Moralist is a Molestor; Gets Eight Years. Brisbane, Australia — Keith Wright, a former member of Parliament, born-again Christian, antiporn crusader, and militant moralist was handed an eight-year prison sentence for molesting and raping a teenage girl during the years 1983 through 1986. Wright faces additional charges of sexually abusing two other young girls between 1984 and 1990 — a period during which he actively campaigned to have the town of Rockhampton declared a “porn-free zone.” (January, 1994)

MINISTER GETS 189 YEARS. For the sexual assault of 2 boys, both 15, the minister of the now-defunct Family Life Church in Park Hills has been sentenced to serve at least 28 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. Rev. Richard L. Jones, 30, was sentenced to 189 years for sexually assaulting the boys in his home and car in 1990- 91. He told them it was sanctioned in the _Bible_. In court Jones claimed the boys were trying to seek revenge when he confronted their drinking and sexual activities. Source: _News-Leader_ 3/16/94, AP 2/8/94.

ST. LOUIS, MO. A judge’s decision to sentence Thomas Jolly to five years’ probation has outraged the victims and their parents, who argue that the 83-year-old defrocked minister should have gone to jail for molesting three girls. Jolly was accused of molesting three girls, ages 9, 13 and 16, between September 1987 and August 1988 at the Gospel Assembly Church, a nondenominational church at 13169 Tesson Ferry Road in southwest St. Louis County. Jolly was minister for the congregation of 600. . (St. Louis Post Dispatch, August 11, 1993 By William C. Lhotka )
Probation For Abuser Stirs Anger Minister Molested Girls Who Sought Counseling

MAYER (FINALLY) GETS 3 YEARS. The Rev. Robert E. Mayer, 53, implicated in numerous cases of sexually abusing minors, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for molesting a girl, 13. Four men also testified during the trial about Mayer’s advances toward them 9 years ago, when they were 13 and 14. “The evidence indicates a long history of sexually inappropriate conduct with children and adults,” said prosecutor Mark Cavins. “This crime was not committed on impulse or spur of the moment.” Mayer is the first priest in Cook Co. to be sentenced to prison. He continued to maintain his innocence, pleading for mercy: “As God is my witness, I was never alone with the girl,” Mayer told the judge. Judge Thomas Durkin replied, “God is not your judge today.” Source: _Chicago Tribune_ 2/6/93.

YOUTH MINISTER CHARGED. Garden City Church of Christ youth minister Rev. Cameron K. Huffman, 41, was charged with 21 counts of child molestation for molesting a young boy for a year. Huffman had admitted to being a pedophile during a counseling session. When the church in Columbus was notified of Huffman’s admission, it fired him and informed the congregation, also calling police. Police received complaints against Rev. Huffman from other Indiana cities and states, but the 5-year statute of limitations has hampered some investigations. Source: _Indianapolis Star_ 1/28/93.

CULT LEADER GETS 16 YEARS. Fugitive religious leader James Randazzo, convicted in 1989 of sexual exploitation of children, was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Founder of Spiral of Friends cult, he videotaped sex sessions with teenaged children during “therapy”. His wife Colleen is serving an 8-year prison term. Randazzo had skipped the country, but was nabbed last fall in Hungary. Source: _Rocky Mountain News_ 1/30/93.

POLL REVEALS WIDESPREAD ABUSE. 7% of Minnesotan protestants personally know someone who has been sexually abused by a member of the clergy, while 5% of Catholics did, and 2% say they have been touched by a clergyperson in a way that made them uncomfortable, according to a _Star Tribune_/WCCO-TV Minnesota Poll phone survey of 1,222 Minnesotans was taken from Jan. 26 to Feb. 5. 1991 survey of Minnesota clergy showed 15% of mainline Protestant clergy admitted to an affair outside of. Source: _Star Tribune_ 2/21/93

CONGREGATIONAL MINISTER RENEGES CONFESSION. Facing 11 felony counts stemming from molestations of 2 young brothers since 1987, Rev. Boardman Kathan says a damaging statement he gave police in July was coerced. Former chair of the Region 16 Board of Education, Kathan retired last summer as associate minister of the First Congregational Church of Cheshire in Waterbury. Police say their investigation shows he molested a boy, 17, numerous times over the past 5 years, & once molested his brother, now 12. Source: (Waterbury) _Republican American_ 1/23/93.

2,000 SUPPORT MINISTER MOLESTER. About 75 supporters from the Christ Universal Church picketed before the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago in support of Rev. Paul Hall, 47, convicted of sexually abusing a boy, 13, in 1989. He had been free on appeal since then. His 4-year sentence began in January. The Illinois Appellate Court, which denied him a rehearing, received more than 2,000 letters in his behalf. Source: _Chicago Sun-Times_ 9/3/92, 1/8/93.

DEKALB CHURCH BLESSES COVER-UP. A sex scandal, now encompassing 4 ministers from one family, has been uncovered at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in DeKalb, Georgia, praised by former President Bush as one of his “1,000 Points of Light”. The $12 million, racially diverse 7,700-seat church with a TV program, social services, lost half of its 12,000 members following revelations that its minister, Bishop Earl Paulk, had an adulterous affair. Other church employees or members have stepped forward to say they had affairs with the bishop’s brother, Rev. Don Paulk, & his nephews Rev. Duane Swilley & Rev. Alan Mushegan. Women charge the ministers coerced them into having sex in order to “serve God.” The church filed, then dropped a slander/libel suit against several former members & staffers, resulting in a gag order by a DeKalb judge forbidding them to discuss their allegations of sexual misconduct. It promotes a doctrine of “covering”, blessing cover-ups of sexual misconduct & requiring submission to authority. Don Paulk accuses former church schoolteacher Rebecca Moses of seducing him, saying “I know now what it was like for Samson to place his head in the lap of Delilah.” Six victims have not filed suit, but are asking for legislation making it a felony in Georgia for clergy to have sex with members of their congregations. Sources: AP/_Atlanta Journal/Constitution_ 11/14/92; _USA Today_ 12/18/92; _Boston Globe_ 1/9/93.

PASTOR BOOKED FOR MOLESTING SCHOOLGIRL. A girl, 15, was molested at a church-run school in Birmingham by Rev. James E. Johnson, of Ensley, according to police. He was charged with 2nd degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor. Source: _Birmingham News_ 11/21/92.

PROMINENT EVANGELICAL RESIGNS; NO CHARGES? Prominent Sunday-school teacher/leader James C. Truxton, 77, resigned his positions at the 5,000-member First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton. The founding president of Mission Aviation Fellowship admitted he was stepping down because of “molestation perpetrated by me in the past upon young girls within & outside this congregation”. Both had been teaching second-graders; the wife was called “culpable”. At least 7 church members in their 20s & 30s said they were molested by Truxton as children. The statute of limitations has expired; no criminal charges were filed. When parents 20 years ago complained to Mission Aviation Fellowship officials about Truxton, they were told a psychologist at Fuller Seminary evaluated him, concluding he was in no need of help. Source: _National & International Religion Report_ 10/19/92.

PASTOR OUSTED FROM 4,500-MEMBER CHURCH. Pastor David Hocking of Calvary Church in Santa Ana was forced to resign after confessing to an affair with a married woman. Hocking, 51, is married with grown children. Source: _National & International Religion Report_ 10/19/92.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ McALESTER, OK. A man who said he was former pastor was in the Pittsburg County Jail on Tuesday on charges of rape and sodomy of three boys. A preliminary hearing is scheduled Sept. 22 for Kenneth Raymond Dewoody, 50, of Crowder. He was charged with nine counts of rape and sodomy. The boys, ages 14 to 17, allege Dewoody raped and sodomized them, sometimes in front of other boys, sometimes while watching pornographic movies, authorities say. Two of the boys met Dewoody at Ask Creek Church, where Dewoody was a pastor, authorities say. (Tulsa World, 07/29/1992)
Pastor Accused of Raping Boys

CANCER VICTIM ALLEGES MISCONDUCT. Carolyn Kruse, Aurora, filed suit against her minister and church, saying he coerced her into a sexual relationship when she went for counseling while ill with Hodgkin’s disease. Sued is John R. Leonard, pastor of Harvest Christian Center, who told the congregation Kruse was possessed by a demon. Source: _Rocky Mountain News_ 1/1/92.

COUNSELING VICTIM GETS $300,000. The Bear Valley Church of Christ & its former minister Homer Wolfe agreed to pay $300,000 to a man whom Wolfe sexually assaulted during family counseling sessions. Earlier, a boy, now 17, was awarded $450,000 by a jury for similar charges. Wolfe, 59, has not been criminally charged. He told parishioners to undress & massage themselves, & masturbated during counseling sessions, also touching parishioners. The fundamentalist Church of Christ teaches that nonchurch members will go to hell. Wolfe now lives in Texas. Source: _Rocky Mountain News_ 8/2,29/92. Denver, CO. A Dever woman and her son were awarded $450,000 by a Denver District Court jury. The woman, who son was a minor at the time, claimed the Church of Christ minister, Homer Wolfe, inappropriately massaged and fondled him during counseling sessions for five years. That case is before the Colorado Court of Appeals. ( Denver Post 18-May-94)
CHURCHES SHIFT ABUSE DEFENSES

FUGITIVE RELIGIOUS LEADER NABBED. Fugitive religious leader James Randazzo, convicted in 1989 of sex crimes, had skipped the country in 1990 & was nabbed in Hungary after a manhunt. He will now be sentenced on 10 counts of sexual exploitation of children & drug use. Randazzo founded Spiral of Friends Church in Molina. Source: _Pueblo Chieftain_ 10/29/92.

Holy Way leader Clarence “Brother Will” Williams was arrested after a 19-year-old woman said he brainwashed her into having sex starting when she was 15. The member of the sect said he forced sex upon her and other women more than 40 times between 1987-1990. Williams, who pleaded guilty 5 years ago to “cleansing” underage members by ordering them to bare their breasts, was 2 months short of completing his 5-year probation. Terms of probation prohibited practicing aspects of his religion such as nudity, fondling children, and having non-related children spend the night. In 1986 prosecutors interviewed about a dozen girls and their mothers who described a religious ritual in which they would strip and fondle each other at Williams’ command. Williams claimed this was _Bible_-based: “Our belief is that biblically if you have a problem within yourself, it is because of sin or weakness, and about the only thing that’s going to cleanse you of that is if you expose it before the Lord.” Source: _Palm Beach Post_ 2/26/92.

Sex abuse and mind control in the name of Jesus was uncovered at the Holy Way religious commune in Florida. “Brother Bill” Clarence E. Williams, its leader, was convicted of sexually abusing two girls during church ceremonies; inducing the sexual performance of children and other indecent assaults. Williams’ commune was established on strict adherence to traditional sex roles and patriarchal rule. (Source: Palm Beach Post, 3/13/86; Tampa Tribune, 4/5/87)

“WOUNDED SOLDIER” LEAVES CHURCH. Senior pastor of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, with 12,000 members one of Atlanta’s largest churches Q stepped down, admitting an “improper” relationship with a female church employee. Charismatic Rev. Don Paulk, 53, sermonized, “I am not here today as a martyr or hero, but as a fallen, wounded soldier … My family’s forgiveness was second only to the forgiveness of God.” His brother, Bishop Earl Paulk, berated the media for exposing the “weaknesses” of others, and blamed “Satan”, promising Don would return. Source: _Atlanta Constitution_ 5/11/92.

AIR FORCE CHAPLAIN COURT-MARTIALED. Capt. Perry W. Bell, 37, pleaded guilty to adultery with 6 women, conduct unbecoming an officer, and bringing discredit upon the armed forces. He was also convicted of attempted seduction of a 19-year-old Air Force cadet who fought off advances in his chapel office. The Scott Air Force Base chaplain was court-martialed and given 3 months in jail. He could have been sentenced for up to 12 years. In exchange for guilty pleas, the Air Force agreed to a brief sentence and dropped other charges of indecent advances, possession of a pornographic videotape while in the United Arab Emigrates during the war against Iran, ordering an enlisted man to obtain a pornographic tape, and dereliction of duty. Three of the victims were Air Force Officers, others were a sergeant, a sergeant’s wife seeking counseling, and an enlisted woman. The senior Protestant chaplain sought out vulnerable women seeking help for emotional upsets. Source: _Edwardsville Intelligencer_ 2/19/92.

“SOUND DOCTRINE” PASTOR QUITS. After nearly 20 years as pastor, Rev. Wendell Beets, of Sound Doctrine Church, resigned following a claim of sexual impropriety with a female church member, 19. A married couple who were also ministers at the church expressed indignation that “he would attack a 19-year-old girl”, & concern that Beets will tart a new church & continue preying on the congregation. Louise & Clarence Ellis of Cedar Rapids say others have criticized them for speaking out against Beets. Source: _Cedar Rapids Gazette_ 8/29/92.

UNITARIAN GUILTY ON 6 CHARGES. Northboro minister Mack W. Mitchell, 56, was convicted on 6 of 23 charges of sexual assault involving a Tibetan woman who testified he sexually abused her as a teenager after offering to sponsor her education in this country. “I came here with a lot of wonderful dreams, and my dreams were shattered,” said the victim, now 23. With the conviction, “I can dream again and become a whole person again.” Rape and assault-battery charges are still pending against him by another Tibetan woman. Source: _Worcester Telegram & Gazette_ 5/15/92.

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER IMPRISONED. Groton Sunday School teacher Leslie Richard Danielson, 63, was sentenced to 5-10 years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing 6 children under 14 years. He is already serving up to 10 years for a 1991 conviction involving 4 other children, but will be eligible for parole in 4 years. Source: _Boston Herald_ 5/22/92.

BRONSON MINISTER ARRAIGNED. First Congregational Church minister David Covert Moore was charged with 5 counts of criminal sexual conduct of 4 children under the age of 15. In July he checked himself into Pine Rest Christian Counseling Services in Grand Rapids. Source: _Jackson Citizen Patriot_ 8/29/92.

MINISTER & GIRLFRIEND INDICTED. Trenton pastor Franklin Tucker, 37, Final Call Ministry, was indicted for molesting his girlfriend’s daughters, 9 & 15. His girlfriend was indicted for forcing her daughters to recant the allegations to police. The abuse came to light when the 9-year-old told a school official, who contacted police. Source: _Trenton Times_ 9/15/92.

SUPPORTERS GATHER FOR CONVICTED “FRIEND”. Pastor Roy McKinley, 45, who stepped down from Milan Friends Church after being charged with molesting a teenage girl, pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition and related charges. Supporters, including a minister, crowded the courtroom where McKinley pleaded for mercy. Source: _Toledo Blade_ 5/25/92.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT SUIT HITS CHURCH. A female employee at World Harvest Church in Columbus has filed a lawsuit saying the father of the pastor sexually harassed her, also naming the church & its pastor as defendants. Naomi Endicott, 48, said Rev. Rodney L. Parsley knew about the harassment but did nothing to stop it. James G. Parsley, his father, was her supervisor & made unwanted sexual advances, even offering money for sex, she said. Source: _Columbus Dispatch_ 10/17/92.

MINISTER MOLESTER OF 400 SENTENCED. Eugene Church for the Deaf minister Joseph Bernard Ponder, 47, was sentenced to 2 years for violating probation in 2 felony convictions of 1st degree sexual abuse of boys. He had received a year in jail for 2nd degree sexual abuse of a boy, 14, in 1988. Officials believe an estimate that he molested 400 boys may be low. “This may be the most prolific abuser of young boys who has ever stood in this court,” said prosecutor Kent Mortimore. “His whole life has revolved around this his ministry, his choice of careers to put himself in contact with potential victims.” Ponder denies abusing the boy during a swimming incident, and failed to complete court-ordered sex offender treatment. Source: _Register-Guard_ 3/5/92.

CONVICTED PASTOR “RIGHT WITH LORD”. Rev. Virgil Carpenter, 48, pastor of Bible Missionary Church in Ontario, was convicted of sodomy & sexual abuse of a girl, 9, over a 1-1/2 year period. A jury convicted Carpenter of 2 felony counts of sodomy & 4 felony counts of sexual abuse. He faces 5 additional felony charges in 2 upcoming trials. “I’m really not worried,” he told supporters who had gathered in the courtroom before the verdict. “I’m right with the Lord.” Source: _Corvallis Gazette-Times_ 10/11/92.

LAY PREACHER WITH AIDS TRIED TO INFECT KIDS? Lay preacher Adam Brown, of Roseburg, Oregon, infected with HIV, was indicted Nov. 13 for sexually abusing children to infect them with AIDS, including 5 counts of attempted murder, 9 counts of sodomy, 4 counts of rape, 5 counts of reckless endangerment, & 3 counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object. Boys & girls told police he molested them repeatedly, threatening them with knives, scissors & matches. One boy said Brown rubbed semen into a scratch on his arm. Another said Brown burned a _Bible_, warning that Satan would come unless the child stopped resisting. Alleged victims include a 3-year-old girl, 7-year-old girl & 8-year-old boy. AIDS tests so far for the children have been negative. Source: AP/_Boston Globe_ 11/29/92.

YOUTH PASTOR JAILED FOR ABUSING GIRL. Sentenced to 60 days in jail for molesting a young girl was Michael Wayne Cross, 32, youth pastor of Oregon City Evangelical Church. He must undergo a sex offender treatment & register with the state for life as a convicted sex offender. The girl, now 17, said he sodomized her numerous times over a year. An officer said the crimes occurred at the church or at church functions. Source: _Oregonian_ 10/29/92.

CHURCH COUNSELING TURNED ABUSIVE. A Fairless Hills couple filed suit against a church counselor and Calvary Full Gospel Church, alleging the pastor referred them to abusive Aldo Maselli. The depressed woman said he told her he “had prayed about it and that God told him that it was OK for him to express his feelings of love”, initiating a 2-year sexual relationship. The suit by Rebecca and Steven Hicks charges negligent, reckless practices contrary to accepted counseling standards, and battery and sexual abuse. Source: _Bucks County Courier Times_ 5/20/92.

CULT LEADER’S SON GETS YEAR. The son of Connecticut religious cult leader “Brother Julius” was sentenced to a year in prison for sexually abusing 4 children, ages 7, 9, 10, & 17. His father claims to be God & a “sinful messiah” & has also been accused of molesting children. His civil suits have been settled out of court, but he has never been criminally indicted. (Boston Globe 9/20/92)

CULT PASTOR NOT PROSECUTED. Officials in Clearfield & Delaware counties won’t prosecute doomsday pastor Anthony Marcolongo of Johnstown, despite allegations by 6 women followers of sexual assault. “We thought this wasn’t the type of case that tax dollars should be spent on,” said Assistant DA Sheldon Kovach. The women said the minister broke them physically, making them work 18-hour days, & filled them with fear of doom in Hell if they did not have sex with him. Source: _Clearfield Progress_ 9/1/92.

POLYGAMOUS HILLBILLY PREACHER CHARGED. The leader of the Evangelistic Tabernacle in Martinsville was charged with felonious seduction & taking indecent liberties with a minor when he “married” a 16-year-old high school junior. Although already married, he was not charged with polygamy since he did not legally marry the teenager. Rev. Elwood Gallimore, 42, was also charged with performing marriage ceremonies without a license. His favorite topic for sermons is polygamy, citing such polygamous biblical characters as David & Solomon. He said the _Bible_ will be his only defense during the trial. Gallimore, whose dutiful 42-year-old wife was hospitalized for “nerves” after the second “marriage” was proposed, says he is being prosecuted by “jealous” men. A magistrate ordered him to stay away from the teenager on Jan. 19. Source: _Washington Post_ 1/21,27,28/92.

CONVICTED MOLESTER RECRUITING BOYS. A convicted child molester barred in Pennsylvania from recruiting choirboys to tour in Europe is now operating out of Morgantown, WV. John B. Shallenberger, 74, was convicted in 1985 of indecent assault, indecent exposure and corrupting the morals of a Dutch choirboy, 11. He was convicted in 1961 and 1975 on similar charges. In 1990, a judge ordered him to reveal his criminal record while recruiting boys and to pay a $5,000 fine for violating a 1978 agreement with the Bureau of Consumer Protection to reveal his background. He has not paid the fine or signed the petition. Shallenberger insists, “Every choirmaster and every music teacher in the country knows of my criminal record … You would be surprised at how many parents beg me to take a second brother on tour.” His July in Paris tour was handled through the Children’s Choir Federation. Source: _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_ 2/15/92.

CONVICTED MOLESTER STOPS TOUR. Following an investigation by the West Virginia attorney general’s office, convicted child molester John B. Shallenberger, 74, folded his Children’s Choir Federation, soliciting boys from grades 4-7 to take 2-week singing tours in Europe. He had been convicted in 1975 & 1961 for child molestation. In 1991, Pennsylvania authorities charged him with ignoring a court order to reveal his child molestation convictions to the parents of recruited children, so he moved to West Virginia. Shallenberger has moved back to Pennslyvania & is running an elevator repair company. Source: _Charleston Gazette_ 7/8/92.

NEW BRUNSWICK PREACHER CONVICTED. Calling his crimes a “most sick, disturbing and tragic matter”, Justice Thomas Riordon convicted Pentecostal preacher Rev. Aubrey McCallister of touching, fondling and sodomizing a young girl for 10 years, beginning when she was 7. The assaults took place at his home and church Sunday school in Minto, New Brunswick. He was convicted of the same offense 2 years ago and sentenced to 5 years in jail but was granted a new trial. His loyal congregation packed the courtroom during both trials, and had to be warned not to repeat their angry outburst. Followers shook the convict’s hand and said they were sticking by him. The victim, now 20, was jeered by the minister’s congregation. McCallister called her “daddy’s little girl” and rewarded her with Oreo cookies or told her to pray for forgiveness after each encounter. “Aren’t we sneaky? If we ever get caught, mom would kick us both out,” he told her. Source: _Telegraph Journal_, Saint John, N.B., 3/6/92.

“GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME FOR WHAT I’VE DONE.” Nova Scotia religious leader Harold Jollimore, 63, convicted in December of sexual and indecent assault of young girls, was sentenced to 2 years in prison. He preached biblical passages while sexually abusing neighbor girls. One 9-year-old who had a breakdown after 8 years of abuse has been in therapy since 1978. He attracted children by running a candy and soda pop store on his property. He told the judge, “God has forgiven me for what I’ve done,” saying he doesn’t understand why the victims haven’t been able to “put this behind them”. He was also ordered to take psychiatric counseling during a 3-year probation. Source: _The Spectator_ 2/11/92.

RELIGIOUS BROADCASTER MOLESTED GIRLS. Well-known former broadcaster Tom Speed, 35, for Billings Christian radio pleaded guilty to sexually molesting 6 girls ranging in age from 4 to 14, who were at his home for day-care or piano lessons. (Missoulian 1/18/92)

1991, England: Pentecostal Religious teacher who already had convictions for indecency against chldren was allowed to teach bible classes at a Cornwall church and used his position to sexually assault an 8 year old boy who attended his classes.

A 14-year-old girl in foster care is raped and impregnated by Deacon Stephen Andrews of the Advent Christian Church in Kennebunk, Maine, a trusted figure. She gives birth. Andrews gets 5 years in prison, 3 of them suspended, despite the protests of the prosecutor. (1990)

Born-again Delaware preacher William J. Keichline, Sr. is commended by the legislature for running Mission of Care ministry for the homeless. As a landlord he assaults and rapes a girl for 3 years starting when she is 7, threatening to evict her family if she tells. He gets eight 20 year prison terms for rape, bondage and child pornography. (1990)

Rev. Thomas Welsch 39, and his wife accomplice were sentenced to 30 years in prison for a string of abuses on twin sisters (13) and a 17 year old girl, both members of his congregation. (1989, England)

Minister Bernard Ponder 46, already on probation for the sexual abuse of boys now accused of sexually abusing a deaf boy. (1989, England)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Evangelist TONY LEYVA received a 20 year prison sentence on March 28 for child molestation and running a child prostitution ring. Federal Dist. Judge James Turk called him and his 2 partners ” bad to the core.” Leyva was previously sentenced to 2.5 years for sexually abusing 2 boys in Virginia. His religious accomplices RIAS EDWARD MORRIS, 27, got 15 years, and FREDDIE H. HERRING, 50, got 12 years. All were fined $5,000. Agents located at least 30 boys, some as young as 8, molested by Leyva in the past 20 years; some put the total at 800 victims. (New York Times, 3/29/89)
Leyva will reside in the Roanoke area; Convicted molester returning next week
book on BROTHER TONY’S BOYS
Parole for Leyva?
Tony’s Boys
5 more men say they were molested by ministers

Indianapolis music minister REV. CLAYTON DUANE HEIL, 42, employed by Lighthouse Tabernacle, is being sued by a 14 year old choir girl for rape over a 3 month period in 1985. The suit also names REVS. WILLIAM W. and DAVID TOTMAN. Said a church official, ” they’re not just fighting us, they’re fighting God.” (Carmel News- Tribune, 4/5/89)

” Popular, dedicated” youth pastor DOUGLAS BOUDINOT, 39, married with children, has been charged with 2 counts of rape while leading a Christian youth group in California. Santa Cruz authorities charged him with rape when a young woman reported that Boudinot had sexually assaulted her in 1983, when she was 17 and a member of Young Life. Professing medical expertise, he reportedly committed many of the assaults under the guise of conducting medical examinations. Washington police have also located victims reportedly abused while Boudinot worked as youth pastor at Kent Covenant Church, taking youth groups on overnight outings and trips to Germany and Mexico. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/23/89)

Radio preacher REV. FRED KENTON BESHORE, 63, of Newport Beach, Calif., was charged with influencing the testimony of a witness, a felony. He is accused of phoning the father of a girl reportedly molested by neurosurgeon Dr. Francis Williams, offering him $1,500 a month for 2 years if he would stop his daughter’s testimony. Police taped offers. Charges against the neurosurgeon for molesting preteen and adult patients were dropped, but could be reopened. Beshore runs Bible Institute of the Air, buying bibles to smuggle into communist countries. (Orange Co. Register, 2/28/89; 3/1/89)

PAUL SLATER, 64, a traveling evangelist, was charged with 4 counts of sexual battery after 8 and 12 year old sisters reported being molested and raped by him. Slater, a ” trusted neighbor,” befriended their family. An investigator said, ” We encourage people to listen to what their children have to say. Many of these cases go on for months and years. ” (Ocala Star-Banner, 2/18/89)

REV. ROBERT G. HALVERSTADT, 61, of Victory Center Church, Pueblo, CO, was sentenced to a year in jail, after admitting he used games, coercion and drugs to sexually molest 3 girls in his congregation. Charges involving 4 other victims were dropped when he pleaded guilty to reduced counts. He was given credit for 135 days already spent in jail, plus 4 years’ probation. Halverstadt assaulted a girl, 9, who volunteered to help him clean his church. Another girl said he gave her something to drink that made her fall asleep. She woke up naked with pain in her groin area. (Chieftain, 12/15/89)

STANLEY DENNIS CUMMINGS, 34, a bible school teacher, was sentenced to more than 2,000 years in prison after being convicted of 60 counts of child molesting and sexual exploitation of a minor. Cummings befriended 8 boys he met through church, friends and employment, molesting, sodomizing and photographing them in sexual acts. He beat one victim, tape-recording it for sexual gratification. ” Ten seconds of indiscretion is ruining my entire life,” he complained, referring to oral sex with a boy, 10. He told the judge: ” But I have an illness. You cannot make me a criminal.” (Arizona Daily Star, 9/19/89)

REV. JOHN MICHAEL LIADIS, 56, of Largo, FL, was sentenced to 10 years’ probation after a no-contest plea to 1 count of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16. He was also fined $500, told to stay away from children, and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He grabbed a girl, 15, the daughter of friends, at a church retreat. Liadis was relieved of his duties at the church camp. (NT Times, FL, 11/4/89)

MARY LOU GALLUP, 61, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for child molestation, and must pay for counseling for her victim, a 4 and a half year old girl. Her husband, Edward Sr. and son, were convicted of molesting kids at the family’s two Christian preschools in Portland. (Register-Guard [Eugene, OR], 12/5/89)

REV. WALTER N. STONE, pastor of Rollstone Congregational Church in Fitchburg, MA, was sentenced to 7-15 years in prison after being convicted by a jury of 8 counts of molesting 2 boys. Two victims, now 18 and 21, testified Stone befriended them during church counseling and activities. Stone, 56, is married with 4 children, an Air Force veteran, with a doctorate in theology from Boston University. Several friends and colleagues wrote letters of commendation for him. (Worcester Telegram, 11/10/89)

REV. ROBERT DUANE SCHULTZ, 52, of Washington, Iowa, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after confessing to acts described as ” horribly perverse” on boys under age 12, involving 1 count of sexual abuse and 3 others of lascivious acts. Officials are giving him polygraph tests and blood tests in an effort to identify other victims. The married minister was a foster parent honored in 1989 by Gov. Terry Branstad for volunteer service. Victims included foster children; five were removed from his home upon his arrest. The prosecution said a law preventing prosecution for sex assaults occurring more than 4 years ago should be changed, and would have resulted in more charges against Schultz. Rev. John Bennett told Schultz’ congregation at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), ” Bob has fallen…into a deep pit of despair. But Bob has not fallen from the grace of God.” Church policy requires that he be defrocked for committing a felony. (Des Moines Register, 10/30- 11/3/89; AP/Clinton Herald, 10/30/89)

JOHNNIE VERNON WOODS JR., 36, a lay minister at a North Little Rock church, got 3 consecutive sentences for abducting and raping a girl, 9. A jury found him guilty of 2 counts of rape and 1 count of kidnapping. (Tulsa World, 10/29/89)

BRUCE KRAHN, 37, pleaded guilty to molesting a student, 15, at Calvary Academy where he taught math. He got 1 year probation, a $500 fine, and a possible 60-day jail sentence. He asked her to stay after school, turned off the lights, shut the door, asked her questions about sex education she got in the public schools, hugged, fondled her and asked her to touch him. She reported it to her parents. He was fired and the state will revoke his teaching license. (Journal-Register [Springfield, IL], 10/25/89)

GEORGE DEGOLYER, 42, pastor of Verona Christian Fellowship, WI, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 5 years’ probation after pleading no contest to 1st degree sexual assault of an 8 year old girl visiting his home. He carried the girl upstairs, pulled down her pants and molested her. He was ordered to have no unsupervised conduct with minors except his children. The DA agreed to ask the court to amend the charge to 4th degree if he does not violate probation. (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/1/89)

REV. L.G. GILSTRAP, 54, an Assemblies of God minister, was convicted by a jury on 3 counts of child molestation and sentenced to 33 years in prison for a string of fondling incidents in 1988 involving brothers aged 10 and 13. The older boy said Gilstrap once tried to have sex with him in the shower. Eight men testified during the trial that they too were molested by the minister when they were boys. Three said they were also abused by the Sunday school teacher, who was not tried. Gilstrap denied the charges but corroborated their accusations against the teacher. The prosecutor called Gilstrap the ” Pied Piper of pedophilia.” Gilstrap, defrocked, started a new church, New Hope Ministries. Married, he was a former clerk for the Georgia House of Representatives. (Atlanta Constitution, 9/22/89)
Ex-Minister Gets 33-Year Sentence In Child Sex Case: Gilstrap Guilty of 3 Molestation Counts

REV. ROBERT A. KULZER, 65, was convicted of molesting 2 boys at Faith Temple Church, in Brighton. He was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison but it was stayed pending appeal, meaning if he can make $10,000 cash bail he will not serve time yet. The married grandfather was convicted of 3 counts of sodomy and 1 count each of promoting prostitution, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child involving boys aged 12 to 16. Abuse included oral sex with a 16 year old boy, putting a condom on a 12 year old boy during a discussion about ” the facts of life,” and arranging for a boy to have sex with a 62 year old woman in the parsonage. Defense involved Kulzer’s ” good deeds,” including being a missionary in Africa. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 12/13/89)

It took a jury only 28 minutes to find ANTONIO S. MARTINEZ, 59, a Pentecostal evangelist from Mathis, FL, guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a girl, 12. He claimed they had a common-law marriage. He first assaulted her when she was 11 and in 5th grade. Her grandmother forced her into the arrangement. A doctor turned Martinez in after Martinez asked him why she didn’t become pregnant. (Corpus-Christi Caller Times, 9/27,28/89)

REV. JIM ” PAPA” CATER, 50 founder and head of Living World Church in Dickson Co., TN was indicted on 6 new counts of child sexual abuse, for a total of 56 charges. The crimes reportedly occurred at the church compound during April, May and June 1989. The state raided the church in June, taking 11 children into protective custody, ordering him to close his illegally operating residential child-care facility. Cater became a minister after converting while serving time in Florida for strong-armed robbery and forgery. His ministry specialized in helping recovering alcoholics & addicts. Following the arrests, he was injured in the county jail after inmates attacked him, calling him ” baby raper.” (Huntsville Times, 11/9/89)

WALTER HEROLDO SOLIS, 54, charged with molesting 3 girls at Glendale Spanish 7th-day Adventist Church in Glendale, was killed Nov. 29 after stepping into a traffic lane in what police believe was a suicide. (LA Times, 12/8/89)

ROY YOUNG, 29, charged in Washington state in 3 molestation cases, is now suspected of molesting dozens of boys in Austin, TX, whom he befriended as a volunteer for youth programs at 2 churches. He lived in Austin for 8 years until moving to Washington 18 months ago, where he was busted for molesting boys in bible study groups he formed. Police seized a collection of photographs, some pornographic, involving as many as 65 Texas boys (ages 8 to 13). At least 4 Texas youths say they were molested. Police regard the photographed boys as suspected victims. Young, who is not married, is accused of performing sex acts in front of Austin children, showing them adult movies, giving them massages, photographing some in the nude and providing some with alcohol. For years he took young boys to movies, dinner, roller-skating, camping and on motorcycle rides, buying kids watches, boots, bracelets & gifts. He also invited youths to spend the night with him. “He gained the confidence of the parents by pretending [1] to be a devout Christian who wanted to enhance the spiritual life of the kids, ” said a detective. (Austin-American Statesman, 12/8/89)

Todd S. Clark, 26, youth leader of the Royal Rangers boys’ program at First Assembly of God church, Albany Oregan, was INDICTED for sexual abuse and sodomy of young boys. (Hamiltin Spectator (Canada) 7/9/88)

Ralph W. Gantt, 26, youth leader of the Royal Rangers boys’ program at First Assembly of God church, Albany Oregan, was INDICTED for sexual abuse and sodomy of young boys. (Hamiltin Spectator (Canada) 7/9/88)

Rev. Russel Nicolle, 50, an Anglican minister from Elliot Lake, Ontario, received 8 months in jail for “repulsive, disgusting and degraded” sexual abuse of a 12 year old and 16 year old boy. Judge M.C. DiSalle said he “seriously breached” his position of trust as rector of St. Peter the Apostle Anglican Church. (Hamilton Spectator 6/30/88)

Rev. Ronald Terry Litz, 50, of Riverside, Penn., sentenced to 2-5 years in jail for morals offences in Luzerne, Co., was sentenced in June to 6-23 months in the Northumberland Co. Prison on similar charges. He pleaded guilty Feb. 4 to 3 counts of corrupting the morals of minors. Litz, former pastor of the Danville Apostolic Church, molested 2 boys at a church camp. His sentences are concurrent. (Scrantonian Tribune 6/29/88)

Richard J. Wagner, 26, a volunteer youth leader at the Warminister Hts. Community Church in Philadelphia, was charged with assaulting a 14 year old boy and 3 others between the ages of 7 and 15 years of age, all part of the church youth program. (Philadelphia Inquirer 6/27/88)

Rev. Randall Wayne Brewer, a youth minister of Faith Community Church in West Covina, Calif., is charged with 3 counts of oral copulation with a Redlands teenager who said he was bribed and molested after being befriended at home Bible studies in 1985. The youth, now 17, testified that Brewer gave him $200 from a church checking account for running naked across an empty church hallway in a game called chicken. “I was told to tell everyone that I got the money for doing work at the church.” (San Gabriel Valley Tribune 6/18/88)

George Degoyler, 42, pastor of Verona Christian Fellowship, WI, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 5 years’ probation after pleading no contest to 1st degree sexual assault of an 8 year old girl visiting his home. He carried the girl upstairs, pulled down her pants and molested her. He was ordered to have no unsupervised conduct with minors except his children. The DA agreed to ask the court to amend the charge to 4th degree if he does not violate probation. (Wisconsin State Journal 11/1/89)

Rev. Cleveland “Rapper” Mack, 24, of Tampa. Fla., was charged with sexually abusing 2 young boys during “Bible lessons”, including a charge of sexual battery which carries a possible death sentence. He struck a boy in the face when he tried to flee. (Tampa Tribune 5/31/88)

Rev. Thomas Streitferdt, 59, a white Pastor in charge of the mostly black 700-member True Church of God in Harlem, was charged with rape and sodomy of two young sisters (ages 14 and 16) in his congregation. Law enforcement officials charge that Streitferdt told females worshippers that they could end up in hell if they refused his sexual advances, and raped at least one woman during premarital counseling…. Members were told that if they were not buried under church auspices at an additional fee in the church cemetery that “they would not go to heaven.” (New York Times 5/23/88)

Rev. Joe Marino, host of Christian talkshow “Inner Visions” in Jacksonville, Fla., and youth minister/counselor at Beaches Chapel in Neptune Beach, plead no contest to custodial sexual battery and soliciting sex from a 16 year old member of his church. Other charges were dropped. The abuse was disclosed after a victim from the church had attempted suicide. (Florida Times-Union 5/13/88)

The notorious Community Chapel & Bible Training Center, a sect based in Burien, Wash. near suburban Seattle, not only mentally abused children with doctrines of demonology and stunted education in their backward and repressive classrooms, but involved children in sexual abuse, according to reporter Mary Rothchild. The Center, besieged by civil suites by ex-members claiming abuse, including women charging sexual exploitation, recently deposed it founder Rev. Donald Lee Barnett on charges of promiscuous adultery. In 1986, after followers complained, Child Protective Services met with Burien officials, spelling out guidelines, for example, that the church policy condoning French kissing of children was unacceptable. Three counselors were convicted of failing to report child sexual abuse in 1987. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 3/23/88)

Youth minister Richard Cole of Community Chapel and Bible Training Center in Burien, Washington, received prison time for molesting a 14 year old boy. A psychologist’s report said Cole’s religious beliefs allowed him to shirk responsibility for his own actions. (Source: Seattle Times, 7/29/87)

SAVANNAH, GA. Life was hard the year Larry and Betty Martin pressed charges against a minister of their church for sexually molesting their two sons. The wounds of the trauma itself were fresh and raw, the legal and psychiatric expenses were gutting their bank accounts and the cold shoulder from many former friends in Clayton County was almost unbearable. But after Jerry Sidell, the 26-year-old youth minister of the First Christian Church of Jonesboro, was convicted in the fall of 1983 after authorities said he confessed to molesting nine children, the Martins were confident the schism in their community would heal. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 10-06-1985)
Family heals wounds over molesting case, reaches out to others

The Martin family of Savannah, Georgia was hounded when they charged their youth minister, Rev. Jerry Sidell, First Christian Church of Jonesboro, with molesting nine children, including their two sons. “They just wanted us to keep it quiet, to let the church elders deal with it in their own way. It made me sick to think that if they hadn’t gone to the police, that Jerry could go somewhere else and start raping more kids,” said Mrs. Martin. A “friend” visited them to suggest they consider “sacrificing a few [their sons] for the good of all [the church].” She told the press, “I don’t think it would be right for me to sacrifice my boys by clamming up, keeping quiet, moving out of the city, not doing anything in order to save the reputation of the church. I couldn’t sacrifice my two boys for the sake of that church or anybody else.” Sidell had molested their sons for two years. He pleaded guilty to four counts of child molestation and one count of enticing a minor for indecent purposes and was sentenced in September 1984 to 10 years. The Martins and another family sued the church and Sidell for $3 million to pay for psychiatric rehabilitation plus damages but settled with the church for less than $5,000, agreeing to seek no further legal action. On April 25, 1984 Sidell pleaded guilty to another count of abuse, stemming from an incident in which he had taken the older Martin boy to Stone Mountain Park and molested him in 1981. He received another 10 year sentence to run concurrently. Following the convictions, the Martins received abusive and threatening phone calls from church members. The family has since become active in the California-based Society’s League Against Molestation. (Source: Atlanta Constitution, 4/26/84)

Decatur, GA. DeKalb County police arrested a man Thursday who allegedly kidnapped and raped an 11-year-old girl and held her prisoner in his attic. James Pearson, 45, of 2938 Dale Place in Decatur, was charged with aggravated child molestation kidnapping, possession of cocaine, aggravated assault and three counts of rape. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 08-02-1985)
Suspect held in alleged rape of 11-year-old

Griggin, GA. The leader of a fundamentalist church remained behind bars on child molestation charges Wednesday, the eve of a court hearing on allegations by church officials that law enforcement officers searched the “world headquarters” of the denomination without a warrant. The Rev. Norman LeGallienne, 47, general overseer of the Union Gospel Holiness Church of God, which claims 1,000 affiliate churches nationwide, was arrested at a revival meeting April 12 and charged with child molestation and aggravated sodomy. He has been unable thus far to post a $17,600 bond. (The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 04-25-1985)
Griffin minister held on molestation charge
Church leader jailed on molestation charge

“HORRIFIC” HARASSMENT IN CHURCH OF CANADA PROMPTS STUDY. The task force on sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment urged the Church of Canada to develop a code of ethics for ministers because of ~horrific proportions” of sexual harassment in the church. The panel said women are more likely to be sexually harassed in the church than in the workplace. “A five-denominational study [in the U.S.] conducted in 1987 found 5.5% of therapists had sex involving intercourse with their clients, while 12.6% of clergy admitted to sexual involvement including intercourse with their parishioners,” reported Rev. Peter Lougheed of Evanville, Ontario. Many ministers are engaging in personal counseling without any training or codes of ethics, said Walter Faquharson, moderator of the United Church.

Rev. Wilputte Alanson Sherwood admitted recently to having sex with 1,800 males since 1984, at least 22 of whom were under 18. He also kept records and videotapes of the sexual encounters. He was sentenced July 29 by Superior Court and was on PAID LEAVE until then.

In Iowa, the pastor of the Wesleyan Church is accused of placing an ad under the name “Diamond Dreams” and agreeing to sex for $150 with an undercover officer while DRESSED IN DRAG. Rev. Jennfrey Dean McKelvey quit his job after his arrest.

In Kentucky, Rev. Earl Bierman attempted to seduce two boys by telling them all about other parishioners’ confessions of sexual aberrations. He pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of 6 boys and was sentenced to 20 years.

Shawn Charles “Brother Dusty” Williams, 50, got 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to showing pornography and fondling 2 young boys. The preacher-plumber worked as a volunteer bus driver for the New Covenant Fellowship Church of San Antonio, picking up stray kids to take them to church. He blamed the ” devil” for his crimes. (San Antonio Light 4/6/89)

Church of Christ settles: The Rocky Mountain News reported that a Church of Christ church and & its former 59 year-old minister agreed to pay $300,000 to a man whom the former minister sexually assaulted during family counseling sessions. Earlier, a boy, now 17, was awarded $450,000 by a jury for similar charges. The minister has not been criminally charged.

there are thousands more Protestants and other religions committing crimes …

Like any other Protestant Churches, Born Again Christians also believed in the invented doctrine of the Reformers the so called Faith Alone doctrine. Born Again Christians is fond of quoting the Scripture out of its context especially the verses that emphasized the importance of faith. However Born Again Christians do not express the totality of the Biblical doctrine of salvation since they only select the verses they read and used in their Bible studies. The Born Again always make it a point in their Bible study and preaching that you don’t need to perform good works since God would look into your faith not on your good works. Protestants divorce faith from good works because part of doing good is obedience, since they do not want to obey the Vicar of Christ the pope hence they dismissed the importance of good works. This doctrine is not only contradictory to Scriptures but it is also heretical (cf. Js.2:24). The Catholic Church taught us that faith and good works is complementary to each other, we put our faith into action by doing good works. In James 2:26 it clearly denotes that faith cannot be separated from good works since faith without good works is dead. Even in the time of Christ there were people who believes in faith alone but Christ rebuked them for this erroneous belief. In Mt.7:21, Christ said “not every one who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven but he who does the will of my Father in heaven”, in this passage Christ rebukes those who have faith in him alone but does not do the will of the Father. But what is the will of the Father? In Eph.2:10 we are created for a life of good works since it is through good works that we can put our faith in action, as what St Paul said faith that works through love (cf. Gal.5:6). Although faith is necessary for salvation (cf. Heb.11:6), it must be united with good works. In Acts 16:30-31 it shows the unity of faith and good works. The jailer asked Paul what must I do to be saved? The phrase “must I do” denotes an action, something the jailer must perform in order to be saved. And Paul answered the jailer “believe on the Lord Jesus”, which connotes that he must have faith in Jesus Christ. Thus combining the thought in the jailer’s inquiry and Paul’s answer it tells us that the act of believing or having faith is not just a mental assent but a good works by itself. Hence it proves that faith and good works is inseparable from each other. A faith accompanied by good works is a living faith that is why in Paul’s epistle to the Romans 2:7, he told the Romans that eternal life is the reward for those who persevere in doing good works. This is proved by the example of a man named Zacchaeus wherein he put his faith into action by doing good works (cf. Lk.19:8-9).

The Danger of Faith Alone:

The belief in faith alone doctrine of Martin Luther is very dangerous, because it undermines the very fundamental way of cultivating values and putting our faith in practice that is through charity. If we have faith alone there exist no difference between the devil and us. Because even the devil believes in God (cf. Js.2:19), the fundamental difference between us and the devil is that we are capable of putting our faith into practice by being charitable. And being charitable is being a loving person but the devil is incapable of being charitable hence if we have faith alone and does not have love there is no difference between the devil and us. In the end of times God will judge us by how we put our faith in action. In Mt.25:32-46, the criteria of God’s judgment will be base on our good works not by faith alone. If we die having our faith alone and faces God for judgment (cf. Heb.9:27) on what basis would God judge us, if we have not done any good works in our life? Would such dead faith saved him? Certainly not!

Conclusion:

Being a faithful Christian means that we must be obedient to God and to the people he mandated to tend His flock. In Luke 10:16, Christ told the seventy two people He mandated to go house to house that those who rejects them also rejects Christ and the Father. In Mt.28:18-20, before he ascended to heaven He mandated his apostles to make disciples to all nations thus those who rejected His disciples also rejects him. And the successors of Christ’s apostles are the bishops that we have now. Hence to reject the bishops and the pope is also rejecting Christ.

Allen Hunt, a major radio evangelist and the pastor of Mount Pisgah United Methodist, the world’s third largest Methodist church and the largest “megachurch” in the State of Georgia, has announced his conversion to Roman Catholicism.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Hunt

Episcopal Church in Maryland to Convert to Catholicism –
“What really drew us was the apostolic authority, the oneness of the faith of the people,” Lewis said “That’s what we really wanted, and I don’t think you have that in Anglicanism.” Nearly 500 years ago, Britain’s King Henry VIII broke with Rome in a dispute involving his wish to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry his young mistress, Anne Boleyn.http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/01/episcopal-church-in-maryland-converts-to-catholicism/

In the Middle of a Triangle – Conversion Story of Najib Nasr
Najib lived most of his life in Lebanon as a pilot, growing up in a home split between Orthodox and Evangelical beliefs. After rediscovering the Bible and listening to American Protestant radio, Najib decided he needed to find the one, united Church that Christ established. The Early Church Fathers led him home to the Catholic Church.http://chnetwork.org/2014/01/in-the-middle-of-a-triangle-conversion-story-of-najib-nasr/

Our Journey Home – A Deeper Look at the Conversion Story of Marcus and Marilyn Grodi
Becoming Catholic was never my dream or intent. It is still an all too vivid memory to me, sitting alone at age 40 in a half-lit basement, having resigned from the pastorate. I ached for having abandoned the weekly privilege of a pulpit from which to proclaim God’s truth. Would I ever have this privilege again? Will I ever again have a pulpit? Now they estimate that each week from the “pulpit” of The Journey Home television program I speak to a potential audience of over a billion viewers and listeners. In one night I speak to more people than I ever could have in my entire career as a Protestant minister. This is the humor of our merciful God. Before I converted I had no idea whatsoever how I would support my family let alone how I would continue in ministry. But this is getting way ahead of myself.http://chnetwork.org/2013/12/our-journey-home-a-deeper-look-at-the-conversion-story-of-marcus-and-marilyn-grodi/

Conversion Story of Fr. Donald Flumerfelt
In my youth, my whole family was actively involved in many aspects of the United Church of Canada in Calgary, Alberta and in Montreal, Quebec. They were good and creative years. My call to ministry came while serving as a counselor for a church camp outside Montreal. One beautiful summer morning, the sun was dancing off the water and a gentle breeze was blowing.http://chnetwork.org/2013/11/full-communion-conversion-story-of-fr-donald-flumerfelt/

The Words of Eternal Life – Conversion Story of Louise Winant
After leaving the Catholic Church and attending evangelical denominations, Louise Winant sought the truth of Christ and decided to reconcile with the church of her youth. Even after returning, there was one teaching of the Catholic Church — the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist — that Louise could not get over, until Jesus touched her heart.http://chnetwork.org/2013/10/the-words-of-eternal-life-conversion-story-of-louise-winant/

More Than Enough – Conversion Story of Kathy McDonald
Our third son was 10 days old on “Reformation Sunday” 1998. The preacher that Sunday at the local Lutheran church we attended was a retired Lutheran school principal, a man in his 70s with a great shock of white hair. He ascended the pulpit and held up a book, a book he proclaimed “the work of the devil!” The book was by a Catholic author on justification. The preacher offered this book as evidence that “the Reformation must go on!” To me, he came across as so angry and fearful, so unreasonably opposed to the Catholic author, that I leaned over and whispered to my husband, Joe, and said “Sounds like a book we ought to read.”http://chnetwork.org/2013/09/more-than-enough-conversion-story-of-kathy-mcdonald/

Towards Unity – Conversion Story of Fr. Jurgen Liias
After 40 years as an Episcopal priest, Jurgen Liias became a Catholic in August 2012. In April 2013 he was ordained a Catholic priest through the Anglican Ordinariate. A community of about 25 other former Anglicans have joined him in forming the parish of St. Gregory the Great of the US Anglican Ordinariate in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts.http://chnetwork.org/2013/09/towards-unity-conversion-story-of-fr-jurgen-liias/

How Being a Baptist Prepared Me to be a Good Catholic
by Paul McCusker. Frankly, I doubt I would be much of a Catholic now without the benefit of all I’d been taught by Protestants as I travelled this way. I know that had I followed my father’s lead as a Catholic I wouldn’t be Catholic at all. (For him, it was a cultural identity, something handed down to him like an old coat he didn’t really want – if even that.) Any spark of faith in my life was fanned by my very-Protestant mother, faithful relatives and, in my formative years, the good people at Grace Baptist Church in my hometown.http://chnetwork.org/2013/08/how-being-a-baptist-prepared-me-to-be-a-good-catholic/

I Did It Afraid! – Conversion Story of Cheryl Ann Masaitis-Spychaj
Cheryl Ann, who dreamed of being a missionary and mother of many children, has felt the hand of God throughout her whole life. Facing the crisis of scandal in the Catholic Church, she left to become an Evangelical Christian. An unexpected turn of events awakened a longing desire for Jesus in the Eucharist, which brought her home to the Church of her youth.http://chnetwork.org/2013/08/i-did-it-afraid-conversion-story-of-cheryl-ann-masaitis-spychaj/

From Calvin to Catholicism – Conversion Story of Brian Besong
Intellectually, I had a strong “faith” in the tenets of Protestantism, particularly as they were expressed in the Calvinist tradition. Yet Calvinism excused my sin as something God Himself did not see, since, so I believed, the righteousness of Christ had been imputed to me because of my genuine faith, covering over my sins so that He was blind to them, at least insofar as my salvation was concerned.http://chnetwork.org/2013/07/from-calvin-to-catholicism-conversion-story-of-brian-besong/

The Tiber: Neither Too Wide, Nor Too Deep – Conversion Story of James L. Papandrea, M.Div., Ph.D.
It was my study of the Church Fathers that ignited within me the dormant flame of Catholicism. As many others who have gone before me found, one cannot study the history of the early Church without realizing that many Protestant doctrines — sola Scriptura, for example — were an invention of the Protestant reformation and do not actually reflect the understanding of the Church Fathers, let alone the Apostles. I also realized that the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist is consistent with the way the sacrament has been understood from the beginning.http://chnetwork.org/2013/07/the-tiber-neither-too-wide-nor-too-deep-conversion-story-of-james-l-papandrea-m-div-ph-d/

Life – Conversion Story of Chris LaRose
I continued to pray, to lead Bible studies, prayer groups, and Life in the Spirit seminars, became a Stephen Ministries leader, prepared for ordination, and became a Methodist pastor — all in just three years! While I was living in the church parsonage, I was watching TV one day and I happened upon a Catholic nun (Mother Angelica) who was teaching from the Bible on her own network, EWTN! This station was all our family watched from that day on. We began praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours — as Protestants!http://chnetwork.org/2013/06/you-have-the-words-of-eternal-life-conversion-story-of-chris-larose/

Led by the Good Shepherd to the Catholic Church – Conversion Story of Ed Hopkins
I was raised in a small-town, Southern Baptist church in Virginia where I, along with my sister, my two brothers, and our parents, attended Sunday School and church nearly every Sunday that I can remember. In my early teen years, I responded to a preacher’s invitation to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior and was baptized. The experience of the waters of baptism seemed to be one of re-birth. I felt as though my sins were washed away and there was a new beginning and opportunity for me ahead. However, I did not experience much growth in grace during my later high school years and I went away to college in 1970 very disappointed with my hometown and the Christians that I knew.http://chnetwork.org/2013/06/led-by-the-good-shepherd-to-the-catholic-church-conversion-story-of-ed-hopkins/

God Writes Best with Crooked Lines – Conversion Story of Ercy Joy Ghiringhelli
Growing up a cradle Catholic in Argentina, Ercy Joy Ghiringhelli had a powerful experience with Jesus in the Eucharist. However, over the course of life, she became attracted by revival in Protestant churches. She eventually became an ordained Nazarene pastor and worked with the sick and suffering, until flipping channels one day, she came across an episode of The Journey Home.http://chnetwork.org/2013/05/god-writes-best-with-crooked-lines-conversion-story-of-ercy-joy-ghiringhelli/

What a Coincidence — Conversion Story of Ron Moffat
Ron Moffat, a former Scots Calvinist recalls his journey into the Catholic Church. “Peter said simply, ‘Lord to whom shall we go?’ I knew in my heart, there was nowhere else I could go if I wanted a faith that wasn’t subject to change depending on the latest intellectual fads. I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, but if I wasn’t, I knew there was no better alternative.http://chnetwork.org/2013/05/what-a-coincidence-conversion-story-of-ron-moffat/

A Catholic Seed Sewn – Conversion story of Vicki Hassessian
My story begins in a naval hospital in Pittsburgh, California, where I was born to an 18-year-old girl and her 19-year-old husband. My parents were believers and we attended the Nazarene church close to our house.. I do remember that my mother used to turn on the TV to do her daily workouts with Jack LaLanne, and just before he came on, there was a show with a man wearing a cap, a large cross on a chain, and he wore a cape that he threw around as he talked. His eyes burned into the camera! Later I would learn that his name was Archbishop Fulton Sheen.http://chnetwork.org/2013/05/a-catholic-seed-sewn-conversion-story-of-vicki-hassessian/

The Corpus & the Cross: My Conversion to the Catholic Faith – by Jackford Kolk
Over the next few years of talking to [my friend] about what he was studying, I slowly began to understand the TULIP doctrines and I realized that I didn’t actually agree with any of them. As a good Protestant, I knew that I could question every tenet of the faith that I had been brought up in and still be a good Christian, so as I gradually began to doubt Calvinism, I never questioned my relationship with God, nor His love for me.http://chnetwork.org/2013/04/the-corpus-the-cross-my-conversion-to-the-catholic-faith-by-jackford-kolk/

My Pearl of Great Price – Conversion Story of Sissi L. Baker
My father was the pastor of a few different churches throughout Ohio and West Virginia during this time. He began as a Pentecostal minister, and would later go on to pastor a Baptist church. My father never attended a seminary, although he received his preaching credentials under the teaching of another Evangelist via postal-mail. I remember as a young girl, my father worked hard at his biblical studies. He continued to work full-time as a carpenter to provide a decent living for his family, but on many evenings, he would slave over a stack of books for long hours.http://chnetwork.org/2013/03/my-pearl-of-great-price-conversion-story-of-sissi-l-baker/

A Change of Faith – Conversion Story of Joan Thomas
I grew up in Trinidad, in the West Indies, of British parentage. My parents were delightful people, loved by me and by everyone else who knew them. They were baptized Christians and lived as Christians should: helping others when necessary and sharing with those who needed it; but like many non-Catholics in those days, attending church regularly was not considered necessary. My two sisters and myself were baptized Anglicans, confirmed when we reached the proper age and as younger children were sent to Sunday school. Our parents attended church services on Easter Sunday, Christmas morning, and perhaps twice otherwise during the year. As we grew older, we stopped attending Sunday school, and only went to church when our parents did. We were believers but religion did not play an important role in our lives.http://chnetwork.org/2013/02/a-change-of-faith-conversion-story-of-joan-thomas/

Tears from My Father – Conversion Story of Randall Gorman
I was raised in a family that was steeped in the Assemblies of God (AG) tradition. My grandfather, Marvin Gorman, was the pastor of the largest AG church in the state of Louisiana with around four to six thousand people in attendance every Sunday. As an adult, I was a third generation minister in an Assemblies of God (AG) turned non-denominational church in Ruston, Louisiana.http://chnetwork.org/2013/02/tears-from-my-father-conversion-story-of-randall-gorman/

Give – Conversion Story of John Nahrgang
Even as a sophomore I knew that I wanted to attend Notre Dame. Its Catholic identity wasn’t really a factor at all; its academic reputation, quality of student life (as reported by Princeton Review), and the memories of my first visit there drove my decision. I didn’t know what to make of Catholicism at all. One of the essays on the Notre Dame application dealt with a “spiritual topic” of our choosing. I chose to write about my impressions of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.http://chnetwork.org/2013/01/hope-that-the-world-cannot-give-conversion-story-of-john-nahrgang/

The “Full Gospel” – Conversion Story of Ernest R. Freeman
The Drill Sergeant walked into the barracks and yelled, “Who wants to go to church? Be out front in 10 minutes!” Being an eighteen-year-old raw recruit in desperate need of a break from military training, I decided to go. I assumed it would be a Protestant gathering; to […]http://chnetwork.org/2012/12/the-full-gospel-conversion-story-of-ernest-r-freeman/

My Conversion Story – Conversion Story of Anita G. Gorman, Ph.D.
My Conversion Story by Anita G. Gorman, Ph.D. My parents were born in Sweden and immigrated to the United States as young adults. Nominal Lutherans, baptized and confirmed in the Church of Sweden, they were not strong churchgoers. Our next-door neighbors, on the other hand, were fervent Baptists who attended a Swedish Baptist […]http://chnetwork.org/2012/12/my-conversion-story-conversion-story-of-anita-g-gorman-ph-d/

“Early Church Fathers” were Catholic. They are the students of the original Disciples of Jesus Christ.

# The tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, taught by Jesus Christ to his Apostles and they preached to their students that became the Early Church Fathers of the Church, preserved what they have learned and this is how the Church founded.

They are the students of the original Disciples of Jesus Christ.
One of the many early church fathers was Ignatius of Antioch, he was a student of John, and John was a disciple of Jesus. Jesus taught John. Therefore what John learned from Jesus also passed on to Ignatius, and Ignatius mentioned Catholic in his letter to Smyrneans. St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrneans, paragraph 8, of 107 A.D.,

The first recorded use of the word “Catholic” was mentioned by St. Ignatius of Antioch’s

Ignatius of Antioch wrote: “Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist, which is celebrated by the bishop or by one whom he ordains [i.e., a presbyter]. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there, just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” (Epistle to the Smyrneans 8:2. [107 A.D.]).

Acts 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

St. Augustine mentioned the Catholic Church, by name, over 300 times in his writings.

In fact the ONLY place in the New Testament where the words “faith alone” appear is in the Book of St. James where James says that we are “not saved by faith alone” (James 2:24). This was the reason Luther wanted to get rid of the book of James.

This man was arrogant in his desire to conform the Bible to his personal, and heretical, opinions.

James 2:24 Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. So Luther added the word “faith alone” to Romans 3:28 in his German Translation.

Catholics never outlawed the reading of the bible. They outlawed certain editions of the bible that were translated incorrectly by reformers. Versions where the word “Only” was added to the word Faith in Rom 3:28. That one word changes the whole entire meaning of the doctrine of the bible. We are not supposed to add to the word of God.

The church is the bibles guardian and the guardian of all truth because the Catholic church is the Pillar and foundation of all truth(1 Tim 3:15). The Catholic church is the biggest promoter of scripture and always has been. We wrote it(at least the new testament), copied it, passed it on, and canonized it in 382 At the council of Rome under Pope Damasus I.

If it was not for the Catholic Church and her popes and traditions the world would never of even known what the bible was. Protestants only know the bible because of us. Martin Luther admitted that. St Augustine also did in the 4th century. fundamentalist always spread rumors about us keeping the scriptures away from people. Bugt htose are just lies.

1. Salvation by Faith Alone?

John 3:3 – One cannot be saved, unless they are born again and accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

This is partially true but the meaning is distorted. The verse non-Catholics like to quote, John 3:3, is not completed by Jesus, or let us say interpreted until verse 3:5.

Let us look two verses ahead at John 3:5.

In John 3:5, Nicodemus is confused about being born again.

Jesus clarifies what He states to Nicodemus stating:

John 3:5 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Here we see that born again means the sacrament of baptism!

If the non-Catholic would only read a little further he would find the true meaning of being “born again.”

2. Do Catholics believe that the good works they do will get them into Heaven?
Catholics do believe that works will get them to Heaven accompanied by faith and God’s grace.

There are so many verses in the Bible stating that entrance into Heaven is not as simple as saying “I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.” Let us see what the Bible has to say about salvation:

(Phil 2:12) -…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

(Rom 2:5-6) – …the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

(James 2:14) – What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?

(Mt 16:27) – For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

(2 Cor. 5:10) – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

(Mt. 25:31 46) – (the verse is too long to quote, here is a summary) Jesus states that He will separate His sheep from the goats. Jesus goes on to say; when I was hungry did you feed me? When I was thirsty did you give me drink? When I was naked did you clothe me? When I was sick did you visit me? When I was in prison did you visit me? When I was stranger did you take me in and clothe me?

Jesus then states that anyone who has done these things for his brother did so for Himself and He invites the righteous into life eternal. Those who did not help his brother in need, were sent into everlasting punishment.

In the verses above, it is quite clear to see that salvation is not as simple as stating that one proclaim Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It is a nice thing to say and should be said every day, but there is more to salvation then accepting Christ as one’s personal Lord and Savior.

3. sola fide is wrong. First, because the Bible never says it anywhere.
Second, because Luther inserted the word “alone” in his German translation, there in Romans 3, although he knew perfectly well that the word “alone” was not in the Greek. Nowhere did the Holy Spirit ever inspire the writers of Scripture to say we’re saved by faith alone. Paul teaches we’re saved by faith, but in Galatians he says we’re saved by faith working in love. And that’s the way it is in a family isn’t it? A father doesn’t say to his kids, “Hey, kids, since you’re in my family and all the other kids who are your friends aren’t, you don’t have to work, you don’t have to obey, you don’t have to sacrifice because, hey, you’re saved. You’re going to get the inheritance no matter what you do.” That’s not the way it works.

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The original publications of the King James did include the same books that the Catholic Bible has, but they are in an appendix.

Martin Luther, on his own and without any authority, ripped seven books out of the Old Testament and claimed they were not Sacred Scripture (hence being put in an appendix).

Martin Luther also wanted to rip out of the Bible several New Testament books too — such as James, Hebrews, and Revelations.

In addition Martin Luther add to the Bible words that do not exist in the Greek extant manuscripts. When Martin Luther was confronted about why he was messing with the Bible, he replied, “Because my will is good enough.” This was one arrogant person.

One of the reasons that Luther ripped out books of the Old Testament is because some of those books helped to explain some Catholic doctrines. The reason why he wanted to rip out of the Bible the Book of St. James is because it contradicted his personal and heretical view about justification. He said justification was by faith alone. NOWHERE does the Bible say that, so Luther added the word to Romans 3:28 in his German Translation.

In fact the ONLY place in the New Testament where the words “faith alone” appear is in the Book of St. James where James says that we are “not saved by faith alone” (James 2:24). This was the reason Luther wanted to get rid of the book of James.

James 2:24 > Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith

This man was not just arrogant but evil in his desire to conform the Bible to his personal, and heretical, opinions.

Anyway, this is the short and quick version of this story.

God Bless.

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The Protestants are quite easily shown to be wrong when it comes to whether or not works are necessary for salvation, and whether or not faith alone will suffice.

As the Epistle of Saint James says,
“Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only? For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.”

As it is, we see Christ our Lord commanding us to do works in order to be saved throughout the Sacred Scriptures.

in John 3:5 Christ commands us to be baptized in order to be saved. And in Matthew 19:16-17 Christ commands us to keep the commandments in order to be saved. While in 1 Corinthians 13:2 the Scriptures tell us that faith without charity is useless.

The Scriptures As Matthew 16:27 tells us, and I quote:
“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels: And then will he render to every man according to his works.”

The Book of the Apocalypse says the same thing in chapter 20 verse 13, while in Chapter 22 verse 13 of the same book it says the following “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works ”.

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Evangelical co-worker said the Bible teaches that once we are “saved,” we can never lose our salvation. Is that true?

Absolutely not. In fact, the Bible is full of passages that either directly or indirectly contradict this doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved.” For example: Rom 11:17-23, “But if some of the branches were broken off [the Jews], and you, a wild olive shoot [the Gentiles], were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree [Jesus Christ], do not boast over the branches…For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you…Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off.”

Paul is talking about how salvation has come to the Gentiles, while many of the Jews have rejected it. And he makes it very clear that once you have been grafted into Christ, you must “continue in His kindness,” or you can also be cut off. So, even after you’ve been saved, you can still be cut off from Jesus Christ.

This is further seen in Galatians, chapter 5. Verse 1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery [sin].” If once saved always saved is true, then one cannot “submit again” to a “yoke of slavery,” and Paul’s warning makes no sense.

But Paul goes on in verse 4 to say, “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.” Paul is talking to Gentile Christians who had been wrongly taught by the Judaizers that they have to be circumcised and obey the Mosaic Law in order to be true Christians. Paul tells them that is false, and if they submit to circumcision and to the Old Law, they will be “severed from Christ.” If once saved always saved is true, though, they can’t be severed from Christ and, once again, Paul’s warning is meaningless.

We also have the Parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke chapter 15. The Prodigal Son was in his father’s house, and the father here is representative of God the Father. Then, the Prodigal Son leaves his father’s house and goes and lives a sinful life. In the end, though, he repents and returns to his father. After the Prodigal Son returns, the father says this of him in verse 24: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

In Evangelical terminology, to be dead is to be unsaved, and to be alive is to be saved. Notice very carefully, though, that the father says the son is alive “again.” In other words, the son was alive, or saved, when he was in his father’s house at the beginning of the parable; was “dead,” or unsaved, when he left his father’s house and lived in sin; then was alive again, saved again, when he repented and returned to his father’s house. Alive, dead, alive again. Saved, unsaved, saved again.

…so that we might be justified by His grace, and become heirs in hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7

One day while going to Confession, I found a Protestant tract (pamphlet) wedged in the confessional screen. Its basic message was that we can be assured of our salvation as long as we believe in Christ. To paraphrase that tract, it argued that we can be assured of going to heaven, since God loves us (John 3:16). Even though we have sinned and are separated from God (Romans 3:23), Jesus Christ died for our sins (Romans 5:8). By repenting of our sins and receiving Christ into our heart, we are saved from hell (Acts 3:19; Rev. 3:20). That tract expressed several basic Christian truths, but it lacked the fullness of the Christian Faith. A few important points need to be clarified.
Let us begin with John 3:16…

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:16, RSV]

This verse is a concise yet beautiful statement of the Gospel message. God so loves us that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross at the hands of sinful men in order to save us from hell (Romans 5:6-11). Our salvation is a free gift from God purchased by Christ. We cannot earn heaven least we boast (Ephesians 2:8). We are saved through Christ by believing in Christ. But what is “believing?”

Now John 3:16 is not a complete expression of the doctrine of salvation. We must understand it in the context and fullness of revelation. Only twenty verses later, it is also written:

He who believes (pisteuon) in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey (apeithon) the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. [John 3:36]

The RSV, NAB and NASB Bibles translate the Greek verb, apeithon, as “obey.” This verse connects “belief in Christ” with “obedience to Christ.” Elsewhere St. Paul connects faith with obedience as in “the obedience of faith” [Romans 1:5] and with good works as in “faith working through love” [Galatians 5:6]. Also it is written, “By faith Abraham obeyed…” [Hebrew 11:8]. According to the Bible, “to believe” also means “to obey.” We do not sincerely believe in Christ, if we disobey God’s Commandments – i.e. commit sin (James 2:18-26). Sin is a break in faith (Numbers 5:6-7).

As a result of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12) and through our serious sins, we reject God and deserve hell – the loss of eternal life. It must be remembered that hell is not punishment from a vengeful God but the natural consequence of rejecting God – the Source of life and goodness. Our sins offend God’s love. There is nothing we can do as finite (limited) creatures to repair this infinite (unlimited) offense. Fortunately due to God’s mercy, Christ redeems us from hell through His Passion and Sacrifice on the Cross. As a free gift (Titus 3:5), God forgives us and offers us the grace to live with Him in friendship forever, beginning in the Sacrament of Baptism (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38). In the washing of Baptism, we receive Sanctifying Grace, which makes us right with God (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor 6:9-11).

Now we are surely redeemed by Christ in Baptism but we can freely choose to reject this gift through serious sin. As St. Paul writes:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23]

In this verse, eternal life is heaven, while death is hell – the opposite of eternal life. Heaven is a free gift from God, but we can still earn hell by committing serious sin (i.e. mortal sin). Obeying God’s Law does not save us, but the Law does point to sins that can damn us (Romans 3:20). As an analogy, my civil liberties are a gift from my forefathers, but if I commit a felony, I may go to jail. Also in the Bible:

Make no mistake about this: no fornicator (those who have sex before marriage), no unclean or lustful person – in effect an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom (heaven) of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with worthless arguments. These are sins that bring God’s wrath down on the disobedient.[Ephesians 5:5-6; NAB]

Another sobering verse from St. Paul is:

For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgement. [Hebrews 10:26-27; RSV]

Please note that the “we” in this verse also included St. Paul – a faith-filled, baptized Christian! After Baptism if we sin deliberately and remain unrepentant, then we can lose the gift of salvation. In Baptism we receive Sanctifying Grace in our souls by no merit of our own, but afterwards we must cooperate with this grace or we will lose it (2 Cor 6:1). This cooperation with God’s redeeming grace is the Catholic understanding of merit (CCC 162; 2025).

Fortunately God has given us the Sacrament of Confession (Penance or Reconciliation), so we can receive His continuing forgiveness for our sins committed after Baptism. Since we continue to sin after receiving Baptism (1 John 1:8-9), we must continually repent, confess our sins and turn our heart (will) back to Christ. Repentance is not a single event in our life, but must be an ongoing, everyday process for us. Yesterday we may have sincerely repented and been forgiven, but tomorrow through our weakness, we may stumble back into sin (2 Peter 2:20-22). We can be assured that Jesus will forgive us as often as we forgive others (Luke 6:36-37; Matt 6:14-15). Through this Sacrament, we receive Sanctifying Grace and Actual Graces which can help us resist future sins.

Jesus understands our weakness even after Baptism. This is the reason that He gave His Apostles the authority to forgive sins:

…He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” [John 20:22-23]

Through the centuries this authority has been handed on to the bishops and priests as the Sacrament of Confession. Christians today need forgiveness for their sins as much as those in the first century A.D. In addition the authority to either forgive or retain implies oral confession (disclosure) of our sins since the priest needs to know the nature of the sins (Acts 19:18; Leviticus 5:5-6).

Even though our personal salvation is not assured, we still must hope in it. In the Bible, St. Paul uses the phrases: “the hope of salvation” [1 Thess 5:8] or “hope of eternal life” [Titus 1:2; 3:7]. If we were assured of heaven, then there would be no need for hope. Hope is not the same as assurance (Romans 8:24). According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God’s love and incurring punishment. [CCC 2090]

The two sins against hope are despair and presumption (CCC 2091). The sin of despair is losing hope in our salvation by failing to trust God. The sin of presumption is losing hope by either relying on ourselves for our salvation instead of God or taking God’s mercy for granted without fear. Denying our sinfulness or believing “once saved, always saved” can lead us into the sin of presumption. However, we must not go the other extreme and fall into the sin of despair. Hope is a delicate balance between confidence in God’s promise and fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7).

God wants all of us to be saved from hell and come to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4). Through Christ’s Church – the Catholic Church, we can come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 3:15; Matt 16:18). Through the Sacraments we receive God’s saving grace as a free gift. But afterwards we must cooperate with that grace, since we have the free will (choice) to reject God at anytime through serious disobedience, i.e. mortal sin. After receiving God’s redeeming grace in Baptism, we must continue to “work out (our) own salvation with fear and trembling” [Philip 2:12]. Through Confession, we can ask God for His continuing merciful forgiveness and more graces to help us resist sins in the future. As sinners we are not assured of our salvation. But Christians, who faithfully use the Sacraments -Channels of God’s saving grace – without giving up, can certainly hope for salvation.

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Belief in Jesus and living a Christian life are both essential for salvation. The “once saved, always saved” or unconditional eternal security was not a doctrine that was taught by the ancient church, nor for that manner, by any well-known theologian before John Calvin. This doctrine is, in fact, completely foreign in the history of Christianity.

The American Revivalism Movement in the late 1800s and 1900s brought the first wave of American fundamentalists into being, with their central “eternal security,” “once-saved-always-saved,” “born again” doctrine.

Since the First Century, the Catholic Church has taught that baptism was performed for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38). That is the “water” and “spirit” that is referred to in Jesus’ discourse to Nicodemus in John 3:4. First Peter 3:20 also says that we are saved by baptism.

Take a look at the Old Testament:

In Ezekiel 36:25-27, it says, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses…a new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you…and I will put My spirit within you…” Here, in the Old Testament, we have a foreshadowing of New Testament baptism.

Now, let’s see if the New Testament corresponds to what we just read in Ezekiel. Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

I was a fundamentalist nondenominational Christian for over two decades. I believed in eternal security, with no reservation. But after converting to Catholicism and studying the Church fathers and early Christians in the light of scripture, I believe that the eternal security doctrine of the Reformation is in error. Just like the Arian Heresy, Gnosticism and Donatism, and all the other man-made doctrines that have permeated Christian teaching at times through the centuries, the “eternal security” teaching will eventually take its place with the other heretical teachings.

Q: I was asked by a co–worker, who is an Evangelical, if I have “absolute assurance” of my salvation. I said, “No,” but then he started telling me that meant I wasn’t saved and he started quoting Bible verses and saying things about the Catholic Church and it all got me a bit turned around. Did I give him the right answer to his question?

A: You did indeed give him the right answer to his question. That question is based on belief in a doctrine called “once saved, always saved.” Once you are “saved,” – answered an altar call or said a sinner’s prayer and accepted Jesus into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior – then, according to this doctrine, that’s it. That’s all that needs to be done. Your train ticket to Heaven has been punched and there is nothing that can derail that train. Salvation is, in essence, a one–time event that cannot be undone. That’s why believers in this doctrine claim to have “absolute assurance” in their own salvation.

Catholics do not, however, say that they have “absolute” assurance of salvation because we do not believe that we have the authority nor the ability to judge ourselves. Paul himself says, in 1 Cor 4:3–5, that he does not judge himself, but it is the Lord who judges him. Paul even says that he is not aware of anything against himself, yet that he is not necessarily acquitted (or saved, in Evangelical terminology). That doesn’t sound like absolute assurance of salvation, does it?

Also, in Phil 3:10–13 and 1 Cor 9:26–27, we don’t see Paul talking in the language of absolute assurance: ”…that, if possible, I may attain the resurrection of the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own…,” and ”…lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” This is not the language of absolute assurance.

God judges us, we do not judge ourselves. At any moment in our lives, we still have the free will to turn away from God and reject Him. And, if you reject God, are you still saved? Catholics don’t believe so. What we can say is that we have believed in God and have done our best to do His will for our lives (Matthew 7:21, “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven,”) and that by His grace and mercy we hope in His salvation.

Man has this incredible capacity to fool himself, but he cannot fool God: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart,” (Proverbs 21:2). That’s why we say that if we believe and do the Father’s will, then we have the hope in us that God will indeed have mercy upon us and grant us eternal life with Him in Heaven. But, we do not presume to judge when judgment is for God alone.

We also do not say we have absolute assurance of salvation because Catholics, like Paul, believe salvation is a process. We believe, as Jesus says, that in order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and we must pick up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), not just once in our lives. If we don’t pick up our cross daily, then we are not following Him. And, if we are not following Him, are we still saved? The answer is, no, we are not.

And Paul very clearly believes that salvation is a process, not a one–time event. In several places he states that we have been saved (2 Tim 1:8–9, Rom 8:24, Eph 2:5 and 8, and Titus 3:5); in other places he says that we are being saved (1 Cor 1:18 and 2 Cor 2:15), which in and of itself connotes a process of salvation; and in still other places he says we will be saved (1 Cor 3:15, 1 Cor 5:5, 1 Tim 2:15, Rom 5:9–10, and Rom 10:9 and 13). We were saved, we are being saved, and w e will be saved…if we persevere to the end – that is the scriptural process of salvation.

Finally, for those who believe in absolute assurance, they have a bit of a problem with the whole concept of hope that we find all through the New Testament. Why are these these folks in the Scripture told to have hope rather than to trust in their absolute assurance of salvation? If they have absolute knowledge – absolute assurance – that they are saved, then they have no need for hope. The concept of hope fits perfectly with Catholic belief, but not so much with the belief in once saved always saved and this whole absolute assurance business.

To summarize: We have the assurance, based upon God’s own word, that if we follow His will for our lives, we will be saved. But, we do not have “absolute” assurance that we will be saved because we could, of our own free will, turn away from Christ at any given po int in our lives.

Mr. Weber’s response:

Mr. Martignoni,

In our Bible study for next week, the leader passed out your article of December 16, 2011 on absolute assurance. In my reading and studying of your article, I find you have overlooked some very important scripture.

First of all, I think you have used the writings of Paul incorrectly. You quoted verses in which he speaks about his development as a Christian. The verses do not refer to salvation. If, as you suggest he was working toward his salvation, you would have to ignore several of his specific verses addressing salvation. He says in Romans 8:1, “There is, therefore, NO CONDEMNATION to them that are in Christ Jesus”. That verse clearly states it is not possible to lose your salvation, because all your sins have been forgiven when you trust Christ as yo ur Saviour. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE SINS. There are many other places that Paul repeats that, but none more clearly that 2 Cor 5:17, when he says that “If any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE. Old things are passed away – behold all things are become new”

The Apostle Peter verifies the authenticity of Pauls teaching when he put in his book that Paul was correct in his teachings.The Apostle John clearly states that “These things have I written that you may KNOW that you have eternal life” I John 5:13. If you can lose your salvation, there is no way a person could KNOW he has eternal life. And the Lord himself made it quite clear that a Christian can not lose his salvation. In the book of John, 14:27, Jesus says, “My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth”I ask you – can a Christian have peace if he can lose his salvation? The answer is a resounding “NO”I was teaching the book of Romans in Yalta in the Ukraine and after our class on assurance, a young lady who had only been saved for a short period of time, came to me and said that she was so thankful we had covered that subject, because she had been taught that if she died with unconfessed sin, she would not go to Heaven. The possibility that she could die with unconfessed sin and not go to Heaven had robbed her of her of the peace and the abundant life that Christ promised her. Thankfuly, I was able to show her what the Bible says – not what man thinks.In the Book of John, 3:15, Jesus tells us that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” Notice, there is not another list of things attached that we have to do to inherit eter nal life. Jesus tells us clearly that it is only the acceptance of the shed blood of Christ that brings salvation – not any works that we might do. The scripture clearly says that “all our works are as filthy rags”It is my prayer that you will look more closely into what the Bible teaches on this subject and pass that information along to your readers so that they may have the peace that passes all understanding – the knowledge that upon their death, the Christian can know that he will be present with the Lord.

I suggest to you, Mr. Martignoni, that if there is no assurance of salvation, the Christian has not the peace that Christ has promised us.

My Reply:

Dear Mr. Weber,

Below, in italics, is the 1st part of your email. My response will follow:

“In our Bible study for next week, the leader passed out your article of Dece mber 16, 2011 on absolute assurance. In my reading and studying of your article, I find you have overlooked some very important scripture.

First of all, I think you have used the writings of Paul incorrectly. You quoted verses in which he speaks about his development as a Christian. The verses do not refer to salvation. If, as you suggest he was working toward his salvation, you would have to ignore several of his specific verses addressing salvation. He says in Romans 8:1, “There is, therefore, NO CONDEMNATION to them that are in Christ Jesus”. That verse clearly states it is not possible to lose your salvation, because all your sins have been forgiven when you trust Christ as your Saviour. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE SINS. There are many other places that Paul repeats that, but none more clearly that 2 Co r 5:17, when he says that “If any man be in Christ he is a NEW CREATURE. Old things are passed away – behold all things are become new”

The Apostle Peter verifies the authenticity of Pauls teaching when he put in his book that Paul was correct in his teachings.

My Response:

Starting with the last line first, I have absolutely no doubt as to the authenticity of Paul’s teachings – so, we can agree on that point.

Regarding the first line, I have not overlooked any Scripture. I am very much aware of every verse you have cited. I simply disagree with your interpretation of those verses. Do you claim to be infallible in your interpretation of Scripture? I ask, because I am wondering if you have some authority by which to declare your interpretation of Scripture to be more valid than mine? If you b elieve you do, please let me know what that authority is.

Now, for the middle portion of what you have written above, my first thought in on your use of the word, “think.” You “think” I have used Paul’s writings incorrectly. You “think” I have, which means you’re not absolutely sure that I have used them incorrectly, right? This is a very important point to me, and one that I think is vital to our discussion, so I do hope you will answer this question directly.

Now, you assert that the verses I quoted about Paul refer to “his development as a Christian,” and not to salvation. I’m sorry, but in reading those verses, I don’t see how you come to any such conclusion. Let’s look at them one at a time:

1 Cor 4:3–5 – “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. ; I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.”

Okay, please explain to me how a passage that is talking about judgment, and particularly about the judgment of the Lord at the end of time, is somehow not referring to salvation? My whole point in using this verse was to show that anyone who judges themselves as being “saved,” is doing something that even the Apostle Paul didn’t do. Paul leaves his judgment up to the Lord. And even though he doesn’t know anything against himself – even though he is unaware of any sin that could be held against him – he still says that he is not thereby acquitted. He is speaking in terms of salvation here, but he is not speaking in terms of absolute assurance of salvation. Please tell me how this is the language of “development as a Christian”?

Phil 3:10–13 – ”…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”

Does this speak to Paul’s “development as a Christian”? Indeed it does. But, in what context? The context of salvation. The context of pressing on f or “the prize” (v. 14). What is the prize? Is it development as a Christian? No. The prize is, “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (v. 14) The prize is attaining the “resurrection from the dead.” This verse shows exactly what the Catholic Church teaches, that salvation is a process. Jesus has made Paul “His own,” yet Paul must still press on for the prize. There is no absolute assurance language here. Paul states that “if possible” he may “attain the resurrection from the dead.” This is not the language of absolute assurance. Do you contend that the “resurrection of the dead” is a phrase which means “development as a Christian”?

1 Cor 9:26–27 – “Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to othe rs I myself should be disqualified.”

Do you contend that Paul is speaking of disqualification from “development as a Christian.” That makes absolutely no sense. The only thing that he would be worried about being disqualified from is eternal life. Just as the prize he mentions he is striving for in Phil 3 is eternal life – the resurrection from the dead. Your interpretation of these verses simply is not supported by the passages.

Now, regarding these other verses you say I “have to ignore,” in order to come up with my interpretation. Far from it. Let’s look first at Rom 8:1 – “There is, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.” Amen! I agree. All Catholics agree. However, I do not agree with your fallible interpretation of that verse. You say that verse “clearly states” that it is not possible to lose your salvation. Where does it say that? Yes, there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. But, nowhere does this verse state that everyone who is “in Christ Jesus,” will remain in Christ Jesus. Nowhere does this passage state that those who are “in Christ Jesus” cannot, at some point in the future, reject Christ Jesus and fall away from Him. Look at what Paul tells the Galatians who, according to Gal 3:2–3, have received the Spirit. Are they absolutely assured of their salvation since they’ve already received the Spirit? Well, not according to what Paul tells them in chapter 5: “Now I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you…You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace,” (v. 2, 4). You cannot be “severed” from Christ unless you are first joined to Christ. But, according to you, once you’re joined to Christ, you cannot be severed from Him. Who should I believe: you or St. Paul? Also, you cannot fall away from grace, unless you are first in grace – saved. Once saved, always saved? Just doesn’t look like Paul believed in it.

2 Cor 5:17 – “If any man be in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” Again, I say, “Amen!” I agree 100% with that verse of Scripture. However, once again, I must respectfully disagree with your fallible interpretation of that verse. Does that mean one cannot sin? That one cannot turn away from Christ at some point in the future? Absolutely not. If so, then why does Paul tell the Philippians to “work out” their salvation “with fear and trembling,” (Phil 2:12)? Why does Paul tell the Romans who have been grafted into the olive tree (Christ) – signifying that they were “saved” – that they will be cut off from the olive tree just like the unbelieving Jews were, “if” they do not continue in His kindness (Rom 11:17–24)? Why would Paul threaten the Romans with being cut off from the olive tree (Christ), if they can’t be cut off from the olive tree? Was Paul one to make empty threats? No. Under your theological system, this whole passage makes absolutely no sense. Please explain why Paul threatened these “saved” Romans with being cut off from Christ, if it is impossible to be cut off from Christ?

I do not ignore any verse from Scripture. You are the one who has to ignore a lot of verses from Scripture, and twist the meaning of a lot of other verses of Scripture, in order to come up with “absolute assurance” of salvation. If Christians in the Bible had absolute assurance of salvation, then why are they constantly told to “hope”? How does the concept of hope fit in with absolute assurance? If you have absolute assurance, you have no need of hope.

One last question. Are there people who believe they are saved, but they really aren’t? If you believe there are, how do you know you’re not one of them?

Finally, I just want to let you know, and I will repeat this in future responses, that for you to proclaim that one cannot have “peace” without absolute assurance of salvation, is, with all due respect, an incredibly arrogant thing to say. You don’t know me. You don’t know the Catholics I know. I have an incredible amount of peace as a Catholic and as a non–believer in once saved, always saved. Many other people I know, all of whom do not believe in once saved always saved, have a great deal of peace in Christ. Catholics, as I will show you, actually have more peace regarding salvation than you ever can. Because, as I will show you, using your responses to my questions above, it is actually impossible for you to truly have absolute assurance of your salvation.

God bless!

John Martignoni

In Conclusion

I hope all of you have a great week. Hopefully I’ll receive a response from Mr. Weber in a few days and will have time to get it into a newsletter next week.

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FALSE SECURITY Verses TRUE SECURITY

The false and unbiblical doctrine of being saved by “Faith Alone” while seemingly offering “Eternal Security” actually offers very little security when clearly examined. For example, we sometimes see good Christian men turn away from the Gospel and commit a very serious sin. If we say that committing such a serious sin has no effect on one’s salvation we contradict the Gospel. See Below. If a person who claims to be a Christian because of a “Born Again” experience commits such a sin only to later say the his original “Born Again” experience was not a true one, but that his subsequent one was true, how does he know with infallibly certainty that this is so when he had been convinced that his first experience was true ?

Even if such a Christian does not fall into serious sin how does he know that he will not do so in the future ? He can claim as Peter did that his faith and love will not fail, but the Bible warns against making such a claim. [See Mark 14: 29-31 and the article on Love, section on St. Peter.] True humility leads us to accept how easy it would be for us to fall in the future.

The false doctrine of “Faith Alone” often leads a person to put his faith in his own estimation and evaluation of how true his faith really is. And trusting in one’s own judgment is not secure at all.

The true Biblical position actually offers us much more certainty. We are saved completely by the free gift of God’s grace that is administered to us by the Sacraments as promised by Christ and by remaining in that grace by receiving it and acting in conjunction with it by a Faith working through love, Galatians 5:6. This truth offers us a true peace of mind that is based on the Rock like quality and certainty of the Promises of Christ being true and that His Sacraments would be effective by the Power of the Holy Spirit regardless of the weakness of the Priest who administers it. And our Hope in our Father’s love for us gives us assurance that if we follow the teachings of His Church that He built on Saint Peter that He will offer us the grace to avoid serious sin.

PRESUMPTION

In Jesus’ discourses on the Day of Judgment He warns against being presumptuous about one’s own salvation. He told of how many would come to Him claiming to be saved, but were not.

Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few. …
21 Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ ”

Matthew 25:10-13
“While they [the virgins that were foolish] went off to buy it [oil], the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Jesus warns us against judging ourselves or others in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Luke 18:9-14 “He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. ‘Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.” But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’ ”

The Pharisee credited God for his spiritual blessings by thanking Him for them. However, God was displeased with him because he was presumptuous about his own spirituality and he assumed God’s sovereign role as judge.

1 Peter 5:8-9
“ Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.”

SERIOUS SIN CAN SEPARATE THE CHRISTIAN FROM GOD

If we have received Jesus Christ then we have received His gift of eternal life. If we later reject Jesus then we lose that gift of Eternal life.

St. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” But notice what he does not say. He does not say that sin cannot separate us from God. This is why the New Testament constantly warns the believers to avoid serious deadly sin.

Examples:

2 Peter 2:20
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first.” RSV

1 Corinthians 6:6-20 is addressed to believers and they are warned by St. Paul to avoid sins that would cause them to lose their salvation.

1 Corinthians 6:6-20
“But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers? … Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers. Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. … 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” NAB

Again in Ephesians, Galatians, and elsewhere we find more warnings for to Christians to avoid sins that would lead to eternal damnation. These warnings would not make sense if a person could not lose their salvation.

Ephesians 5:3-8
“But fornication and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints. Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not associate with them, for once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” RSV

Galatians 5:16,19-22
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh…19 Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”

Hebrews 10:26-29
“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace ?” RSV

Hebrews 6:4-8
“For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned.” RSV

1 John 5:16-17
“If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.” NAB

If a person could not lose their salvation these warnings would be meaningless. The breaking of these commandments leads a person to hell, (unless he is subsequently renewed by God’s grace. Cf. Jn 20: 21-23, James 5: 13-16, Lk 15: 23-24, and 1 Jn 5: 14-17.)

Some say that when a person becomes a child of God, a son, he always remains a son so therefore he cannot lose Salvation. Actually the story of the prodigal son proves a person can lose his salvation. He can throw away his inheritance. In this story the wayward son had become DEAD.

Luke 15:32
“It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” RSV.

So, even if we remain a son, we can lose our inheritance and become spiritually dead. Because the son repented, he was accepted back into the family.

We are not even our own judge as Saint Paul points out. Philippians 3:11-12 “…if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ (Jesus).”

1 Corinthians 4:3-5
“It does not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.” The word “acquitted” is a translation of the Greek word -DIKAIOO (Strong’s number 1344) which means justified.

We are saved if we have Christ in our hearts, but we will lose our salvation we lose our faith in Him. Christ holds us in his hand (Jn. 10:28) and no one else can forcibly remove us, but we are still free to leave. When we receive Christ we receive the gift of eternal life, but if we later abandon our faith in Christ and reject He who is Life, then we also reject His gift of eternal life.

When we are “baptized into Christ” (Rom. 6:3), we receive the gift of adoptive sonship. The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that if we disinherit ourselves then we become spiritually dead. Luke 15:32 “…your brother was dead…” 1 John 5:16-17 “There is such a thing as deadly sin…All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.”

Salvation is an ongoing process.

Philippians 2:12-13
“So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.”

Saint Paul begins and ends his discussion on faith using the phrase “the obedience of faith.” Rom 1:5 and 16:26. If we go to a doctor and he tells us to take some medicine and we do not, can we say that we really have faith in what he is telling us to do ? Whenever we sin against God’s will we are saying that we don’t really believe that His will is best for us. Our faith is imperfect in those instances. God perfects our faith through our acceptance of our cross that He asks us to carry.

1 Peter 4:1
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin… ” RSV

Romans 11:13-24
“Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. … 19 You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.” RSV

Therefore, this verse teaches that we could fail in kindness, i.e. love, and be cut off, that is lose our salvation.

Fire is often used in a bad context as below:

Ezekiel 15:6-7
“Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have destined as fuel for the fire, do I make the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will set my face against them; they have escaped from the fire, but the fire shall devour them.”

John 15:4-6
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.”
Cf. Ezekiel 15:6-7

John 6:56
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

The word “abide” in the above verses, Jn 6:56 and 15:6, is the same Greek word, Strong’s number 3306, which is sometimes translated as “remain,” or as in this case “abide.” The context makes clear that we must remain, or abide, in Christ because if we do not remain in His grace then we lose that union with Him by which we are saved.

SALVATION IS NOT ONLY A PAST EVENT

Some Protestants understand Justification in the life of the believer as only a past event. Some will even quote John 19:30 … “It is finished”; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. RSV and claim that this means that they cannot lose their salvation because it is past tense.

John 19:30 “…It is finished…” The “it” here cannot be a reference to our Justification because we read in Romans 4:25 …who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification. RSV We saw in Hebrews 11: 9, quoted above, how Abraham’s Justification was on ongoing event in his life. James also makes this same point.

James 2:21
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar ?” RSV

Salvation has past, present, and future aspects in all of our lives. This is why the Bible speaks of it in the past, present, and future tense.

Past tense:

Ephesians 2:8
“For by grace you have been saved through faith…”

Present tense:

1 Peter 3:21
“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you…”

1 Corinthians 1:18
“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Future tense:

Galatians 2:17
“But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves are found to be sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? Of course not!”

Matthew 24:13
“But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.”

1 Corinthians 7:18-19
“Was any one at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was any one at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.”

Here, in Corinthians, Saint Paul contrasts the ritual law, circumcision, with the Moral Law of the 10 commandments. What counts is the Moral Law. If he had meant to say that we are justified by faith alone, apart from the good works of keeping the commandments, he would not have spoken this way. The keeping of the commandments is our life long journey of Justification. If we fail in a mortal way, 1 John 5: 16-17, we lose our salvation.

In John Chapter 15 Jesus tells us that we are like branches that must remain connected to Him, the True Vine, or else we will lose our salvation and we will be thrown into the fire to be burned.

John 15:5-10
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love.10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.’

In the verses above in the fifteenth chapter of John the English word “abide” in verses 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 is a translation of a certain Greek word that is numbered 3306 in Strong’s Concordance. John uses this same Greek word in John 6:56 where it is also translated as “abide.” In these chapters, 13 through 17, John gives us an account of Jesus’ final evening and Last Supper discourse with His disciples. By using the same word, abide, in John 6:56 Jesus indicates how we are to remain in His Love and to remain connected to Him, the True Vine.

John 6:56
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

Therefore, unless a person is faithful in attending Mass and continues to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, that individual is not abiding in the manner prescribed by Jesus Christ.

Those who wish to separate faith from good works are taking a position that Saint Paul never takes. Saint Paul not only begins but also ends his discourse on faith in the context of obedience. Saint Paul never separates obeying the moral law, from faith. Christ’s obedience of the moral law does not excuse us from obeying it, rather by obeying it He won the grace for us to enable us to obey it.

Romans 1:5
“through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations …”

Romans 16:26
“ … but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith” RSV

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” RSV

Romans 6:15-16
“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” RSV

Thus, we can see that while Salvation can be spoken of as past event, that is, we Christians have already received the gift of eternal life, in order for us to hold onto that gift we must remain connected to the vine and remain in God’s grace by abiding in His Love and His commandments and we must persevere in obedience to the end [Mat 24:13] or else we will lose our gift of eternal life and be cast off into the fire [John 15:6] on judgment day.

SAINT PAUL COULD LOSE HIS SALVATION

2 Timothy 1:12
“and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.”

But we must remain in His protective care by persevering in faith so that we might receive the reward that He is guarding for us.

2 Timothy 4:18 KJV
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever.”

Matthew 24:12-13
“And because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures [ “endures” – Greek word 5278, sometimes translated as “perseveres” ] to the end will be saved. RSV

We know that God will do His part, and we can have a moral assurance that we will “endure” or “persevere” to the end, but other passages that I will point out show that it is possible that we will not.

2 Timothy 4:8
“From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.”

As his earthly life comes to a end he speaks of the “crown” and he gives the reason why he will receive it. It is because he has “kept the faith,” but the implication is that if he had not persevered in his faith he would have lost his crown, his salvation. Matthew 24:13 “… the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.”

Saint Paul does speak of the crown of righteousness which he will receive, but this is spoken of only just before he is about to be martyred, after he has “finished the race.” He speaks this way in order to encourage others to persevere in their faith and hope in Christ.

2 Timothy 1:16-17
“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me; he was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me eagerly and found me – ”

2 Timothy 4:6-8
“For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Saint Paul clearly states that he could lose his salvation.

We know that Saint Paul is a Christian (see Galatians 2:19-20), but even he points out how he could lose his salvation if he were to turn from the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Saint Paul says “ …but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” RSV

However, some people will contest that the word “disqualified” refers to Paul loosing his extra merit and glory and does not refer to Paul loosing his salvation. So, the key is to prove what this word means. The word “disqualified” is translated from the Greek word “ADOKIMOS” (Strong’s # 96.) Saint Paul makes the meaning of this word clear in his second letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 13:5
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” RSV

Here Saint Paul uses the same Greek word “ADOKIMOS” (#96), except here, in English, it is translated as “fail.” The context is clear. It refers to people who are spiritually lost and without the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

So, the question we must ask is, “What is lost in 1 Cor 9:27 ?” This word “ADOKIMOS” does not modify any reward that Saint Paul might have received, rather it modifies Saint Paul himself. 1 Corinthians 9:27 “ … lest … I myself should be disqualified (ADOKIMOS).” Therefore, St. Paul is speaking in 1 Cor 9:27 above how he could lose his salvation.

In summary, these three observations are unmistakable.

Observation 1:
Saint Paul is a Christian and already has saving grace.
See Galatians 2:19-20.

Observation 2:
The Greek word “ADOKIMOS” (Strong’s # 96.) refers to someone who is spiritually lost and does not have saving grace.
See 2 Corinthians 13:5 above.

Observation 3:
Saint Paul points out that this condition could apply to him if he turns from the Gospel. See 1 Corinthians 9:27.

We must ask, “What does “ADOKIMOS” modify ?” “ADOKIMOS” does not modify any “rewards” that Saint Paul might have received. “ADOKIMOS” modifies Saint Paul himself.

Therefore, Salvation can be lost. A true security can be found, not by trusting in our own determination that our own faith is the true kind, but rather trusting in the Love of our Father in Heaven to faithfully guide His Church, and by trusting in the Truth of Promises of Jesus Christ, and by trusting in the Power of the Holy Spirit to effect those Promises.